Glass Houses
by der kapitan
Summary: Don't get so caught up in your own reality that you forget the ugliness of the world. Original Persona storyline. - Discontinued, reboot under "Ragnarok"
1. prologue

**Author's Note:** Juggling rereading the _Harry Potter _series and four stories while I enjoy the rest of my summer vacation. Please forgive any late updates. :)

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Prologue

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

The man admires his reflection in the hall of mirrors, twisting and turning. "I think, perhaps, I might be in need of a new suit. I've grown a couple of inches in the past couple of years." He pulls in the lapels of his suit jacket, stands up straight, and raises his long nose. He smiles, pleased. "On the other hand, I'm very fond of this suit. It's accompanied me well."

"So then that's a no," comments the platinum blonde beside him, "to the purple suit you wanted?"

He strokes his chin before eventually shaking his head. "No, I've no use for it."

She sighs, and the notebook in her hands promptly disappears. "Master, we have company."

"My greatest apologies for keeping you waiting," he apologizes, tightening his tie before turning around to face his guest. "Ah, how very unusual," he notes, though he doesn't sound the least bit surprised. "This is the first time we've ever had a group reading. Go on, go on, take a seat. It's no wonder the room's taken on such an interesting form…"

A high stool appears behind the long-nosed man, who easily slides onto the midnight blue cushion. "My master warned me to expect the unexpected," he continues, now holding a deck of cards. "My name is Igor. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. You all look very confused - you are in a place that transcends both dream and reality. This is a room that only those who have signed a 'contract' may enter. Perhaps it is fate that has brought so many of you here today." He chuckles.

"Now then, why don't we get better acquainted with a fortune reading? It's a little hobby of mine." Seven cards hover in the air, right in front of Igor. He moves a long-fingered hand over one, and it flips over to reveal an image. "Ah, upright Justice. Regardless of what people may think, Justice does not represent good or bad, right or wrong; it stands for adjustment. Sometimes, we must deal with things that aren't very pleasant, but how we deal with them depends on us." He smiles enigmatically.

His hand passes over another card, this time in the corner. "Reversed Fortune. Interesting…" He looks up, eyes wild and bloodshot. "Fortune signifies evolution and movement. Things are always changing. However… Reversed Fortune may bring bad luck in the days to follow." He makes a movement with his arm over the Tarot cards, and all of them disappear into thin air. "Destiny has its way of connecting with us all."

The neglected female standing beside him clears her throat. "Oh yes, how silly of me. I have neglected to introduce my assistant. This is Lisa. She, too, is a resident of this room."

"Hey there," she greets, tipping the navy fedora towards her guests. "I'm here to help, whenever you need any assistance."

"The details shall be explained later," Igor adds, shifting the attention to him. "But until then, I'm sure you all need your rest. Farewell."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap


	2. spring awakening

_Author's Note__:_

Guuuh bluh bluh - I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I'm trying to balance all the stories I'm working on for the summer (which include this one and three others), and this week has been a little difficult for time. Nevertheless, here is the first chapter! Enjoy. :)

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter One  
Spring Awakening

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 6, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin International Boarding School_

"So, this is home, huh?" Though his voice is solemn, there is a glint of excitement in his eye. He can feel his palms beginning to sweat out of nervousness, and he has to release his grip on his baggage in order to wipe them on his worn blue jeans. _"Now or never,"_ he tells himself to erase any more thoughts about stalling. Taking in a deep breath, he gives himself only a second to brace himself before stepping forward-

- and tripping right onto his face.

There's a shriek, and through the floor he can feel the thudding of feet running towards him. "Oh my God," breathes a feminine voice, "are you alright?" With the aid of several other hands, he manages to get on his knees, where he can see the smile of the concerned honey blonde. "Ouch, that looked painful. Do you wanna sit down or anything? Are you feeling dizzy?"

"Calm down, Mom," the brunet beside him says teasingly, to which she grins impishly. "I'm sure he's fine. First day jitters, huh?" Both he and the other boy pull him to his feet before bringing in his bags, which had gotten caught in the door. "You're the transfer student, aren't you? I'm Steven Matching, a third year. This is Kaito Minamoto, another third year and my roommate, and she's-"

"And I'm Tohru Akaike, a second year," greets the girl, who reaches out to shake his hand. "You're…"

Her face scrunches up in thought, tries to retrieve the memory of reading the name on his file, but he saves her any embarrassment by answering, "Seichi Hakurata, second year. Nice to meet all of you." Tohru motions for him to follow her to the lounge counter, where stacks of papers are sitting. "Who else lives here?" he asks, looking around the spacious area with curious eyes.

"There are ten of us on the first two floors," she says, taking a seat across from him. "You, me, Steven-senpai, Kaito-senpai - oh here, take these forms, you need to sign them - Avery, Mari-san, Alexandra, Kyle-senpai, Jaye, and Akito-san. I think you're rooming with Akito-san since both of you are second years, but let me check…"

As she sorts through a manila folder, he takes the time to admire the elaborately decorated living room. Black leathers couches are set up around a furnished coffee table, in viewing range of a wide screen TV. A Persian rug sits on top of the waxed floor, underneath the seating arrangements, a number of potted plants and flowers line the corners. Red-cushioned chairs align the bar counter Tohru is standing behind, and he can spot more of them at an island on the other side of the room. Hanging from the red and white walls are large paintings and portraits in gold frames, creating a regal look that seems unfitting for a school dormitory. There are small touches that make it more homey, including a bookcase, shelves for movies, and various objects scattered on the ground.

"Only ten of us live here?" he asks in awe. "It's kind of big…"

"No, mate, there's ten of us on the first two floors," Steven restates, patting him on the back a little too roughly. "This is the only coed dorm on campus, and it's kinda small compared to the others. Usually they crowd a hundred people in one, but there're only sixteen in here."

"Then what about the others?"

"The floors were split up into two divisions, just to make life a little easier on the resident assistants. Tohru, Kaito, and I couldn't very well handle a whole sixteen of you." Seichi can't help but notice the sarcasm behind his upperclassman's smile. "Aside from that, that Erik's a git…"

"Senpai!" says Tohru admonishingly, giving him a warning look. "They're all very nice - though Erik-senpai does make me nervous sometimes - but we don't know them as well. Each division is a pretty tight knit group of people. They even have their own lounge on the fourth floor, so they don't need to come down here if they need to hang out. Not that there's anything wrong with getting to know each other, of course…"

Kaito nudges her lightly with his elbow. "You're confusing him, Tohru."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Seichi reassures, trying to smile. "But… why do we have such a nice place all to ourselves? It's kinda extravagant for students…"

"This is an old Kirijo mansion," he answers as the silver-and-black-haired boy begins writing his signature on the necessary papers. "They donated it to the school when they no longer needed it, so the school decided to use it as a coed dormitory. I don't know the full details-"

"Nobody does really," interrupts Steven.

"- but apparently you've got to have some pretty special criteria (or luck) to get in here. This is definitely the nicest dorm on campus, and transfers rarely get in, so you've got some luck."

Seichi can't help but look mildly impressed as he hands the papers back to Tohru, who sorts through them quickly. "Kirijo, huh…?"

"They donate a lot to the school, so they're pretty popular around these parts," Steven explains. "I've been coming here for five years now, and there isn't a person in this city who doesn't worship the ground they walk on. I think the one with the eyepatch - Takeharu is his name, I think - came to speak to our school a couple of years ago."

"He passed away," Kaito cuts in, momentarily stunning the brunet.

"Ah, pity…"

"'Scuse me." The attention shifts to a thin girl with a long brown braid and an apathetic expression. She has two rolling cases in her hands, as well as a duffel bag draped over her shoulder. "D'you know if Erik or Ayumu are here yet?"

Seichi can see that both Steven and Kaito are watching this new arrival with caution, and even Tohru's smile is strained. "Senpai arrived earlier today. He should be up there now, I think." Nodding, the girl wheels her belongings with her, and nobody speaks until she disappears inside the elevator. "That was Suyin Wan," Tohru explains. "She lives on the fourth floor."

"She had an interesting accent," Seichi notes.

"She's from China, though her parents relocated here a while ago. I don't know why, but…" Tohru simpers, then shakes her head before handing him a key. "Well, I probably shouldn't be gossiping anyway. Here's your key! You're gonna be in room 2C. Make sure you don't lose it; we have a spare, but it'll cost five thousand yen to get that one replaced. Also, here's some instructions on what to do before classes start on Monday. You'll definitely want to get your ID picture taken as soon as you can, but everything else can be done over the next two days. Do you have any more questions?"

He stares blankly at her beaming face before eventually shaking his head. "Ah, no, I think I got it…"

Before he can start wheeling off, Steven slaps him playfully on the back. "Welcome to KI, Seichi."

Wincing because of the gesture (which he swears will leave a mark), Seichi still manages a grateful smile. "Thanks, Senpai."

* * *

Namikaze is a small port city in southern Japan, and a popular tourist site for those wishing to get away from the crowded population in the larger cities. The city is graced with fine weather, never lingering on one extreme for too long. There are popular places to go when one hopes to spend time with friends, and there are places of solitude in case on wishes to stow away. Various forms of entertainment are provided, whether it be a simple bookstore, a karaoke bar, or places to eat. The beach is especially wonderful during the summer, even if its entire stretch is covered in tourists, but even chilly weather can't keep the locals away from the alluring ocean waves.

"Hellooo, beautiful!" The auburn-haired female extends her arms in greeting to the vast ocean, leaning back her head to breathe in the crisp air. She falls back onto the sand, not caring about the sand that sticks to her jeans or white winter jacket, and smiles happily.

"Hey, do you mind?" She jerks upright at the intrusive voice and directs her glare in the direction from where it came. "You're ruining the mood, _liebe._" The dark-haired male is sitting on a nearby rock, cigarette in hand, as he smirks mockingly down at her.

She scowls, irritated, and chucks one of her combat boots at him (which he manages to narrowly avoid). "Screw off, Erik."

He smiles in a completely insincere manner, fluttering his eyelashes at her, before waving her off and bringing the cancer stick back to his lips. "And you, Yukatanabe - shouldn't you be back at the dorm?"

"Shouldn't _you_ be back at the dorm?" she shoots back immediately, while taking off her other boot to empty it of sand. "Being Resident Assistant and all, you kinda need to be there to check people in, don't you?" He shrugs, clearly unconcerned about his responsibilities, and she rolls her bright blue eyes at him. "Why don't you just quit already? You're as useless as a dead rodent."

"Oh Yukatanabe-san," (he ducks again from the second boot thrown at him), "I believe that's the kindest thing you've said to me in all my years of knowing you. You flatter me, _liebe_, truly you do."

"What_ever_," she hisses, dropping back onto the sand, this time determined to ignore him.

"You know…" She tenses, tries to block out his thickly accented Japanese. "I hear we've got a new transfer student staying at our dorm this year. I overheard Akaike and Matching talking about it earlier today." The thick odor of nicotine wafts past her nose, making it particularly difficult to completely disregard his existence. "I can't recall his name for the life of me, though…"

She knows, by the teasing tone in his voice, that he wants her to ask more and, therefore, that he knows something about this transfer student that will directly affect her. Anagi has known him for a while, though (_"Too long,"_ she thinks irritably), so she knows better than to take the bait. "Cool," is all she says.

"Mmmhmm."

_"I don't care,"_ she thinks. _"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't-"_

"What are you two doing here?" Both Erik and Anagi look over at the newcomer, who is watching the duo with mild amusement. "It's a bit cold for a trip to the beach, isn't it?" Anagi shrugs while Erik smirks. "Itachi was looking for you, Senpai," she says to Erik, who looks as unconcerned as ever. "'Says you need to help out with registering and checking everyone in."

He takes a long, deep drag from his shrinking cigarette. "Did she send you on an errand here, Avery?"

"Hey, I've got nothing to do with the administration of our dorm," she replies, holding her hands up in defense. "I just wanting to take a walk around the city and she yelled at me before I left. Oh, and Zane was looking for you, too. Apparently you've got both the keys to your room and he has no way of getting in since you lost the spare last year."

Erik chuckles as he flicks the cigarette away, losing it somewhere in the grains of sand. "Playing messenger girl now, huh?"

"Nah, just looking for a quiet place to read," she quips good-naturedly, "but I'm here to help when I can. Tell Itachi I'm the one who sent you, alright? I wouldn't mind getting a couple more stars in her books." She bids goodbye to the couple on the beach before strolling away, book bag bouncing against her side and bare feet skipping along the ground.

"I feel like walking around barefoot like that all the time is super unhygienic," Anagi comments offhandedly.

"If it's what makes her happy, then what does it matter?"

"Like that means anything from you, you heathen."

Snickering, he gets to his feet and shoves his hands into the pockets of his white slacks. "Well, I suppose I'll be headed back now. Perhaps I'll run into our mysterious transfer student along the way." Anagi rejects the unspoken invitation with a wave of her hand, which results in a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Very well, then. See you at home, Yukatanabe-san."

She snarls threateningly at him, but otherwise makes no motion to cause him any bodily harm. She figures if she just lets him go, he'll leave her alone, and that's better than actually hitting him. "Bye, _dummkopf_," she says, using the little bit of German she's picked up from him over the past couple of years. She can see the black of his dress shoes walking across the sand, towards the sidewalk.

Knowing that the beach is finally hers alone, Anagi closes her eyes and enjoys.

* * *

"It's really crowded today." The British teen yelps as a group of children go running past him, nearly knocking him over in the process. "Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to come to the mall just before school started… Everyone's just returned and still trying to enjoy what's left of break." He looks around him, making sure that he hasn't lost in friends in the crossfire of bodies. "'You alright?"

"I'm alright," chirps the dark-haired girl beside him, who is still clinging to his gray hoodie. "But perhaps we should have just stuck to the Plaza. This really isn't all that enjoyable."

He flashes a boyish grin. "That honesty of yours is always refreshing, Alexandra." He looks over to the other two in their group, both of whom are trying to get closer to his taller form. "You two look like you're doin' alright." The blond male manages a weak smile, while the other female merely rolls her crystal-colored eyes at his joke. "Or maybe we should just head back… It's getting late."

"It's only three o'clock," she points out, even if she's pushing him towards the exit. "Although Tohru may appreciate the extra company. She's been cooped up with Matching and Kaito since seven this morning."

"Careful, they might overhear you and think you're not fond of them," he teases.

She shrugs, dazing off now that they're outside and away from the stifling crowd, and begins to play with the ends of her dark wavy hair. "Maybe it's just because she's surrounded by too many Brits all the time," adds the girl with the bright eyes, who smiles sardonically at Jaye and his English rugby team jersey. "No offense, of course, Kyle."

"Why no offense to him!" Jaye demands, while his fellow upperclassman simpers. "He's just as British as Steven and myself!"

"I think she may be making a reference to individual character," Alexandra answers, with no ill will. A deep frown sets into the tanned teenager's face, but it goes unnoticed (or simply ignored) by the females. "Tohru was telling me about the transfer student who's moving into our division of the dorm," she tells Mari. "He was orphaned young, apparently."

Mari quirks an eyebrow. "Are you sure we're supposed to know that?"

"She had out the file, so I felt like there was nothing wrong with reading it. How were we supposed to know the contents?" Too used to her general nonchalance and honesty to really be bothered by how she says this, Mari urges her to continue. "He's been living with a chef for only four or five years now; he's been in foster care and on his own otherwise."

"I wonder what made him want to come here, then," Mari muses, wearing a thoughtful expression. "How old is he?"

"Sixteen."

"Hm, that's bizarre. Transferring at the beginning of his second year of higher education, just to have two years here…"

"I'm sure he has his own reasons for wanting to transfer," chimes in Kyle, who pulls in his leather jacket closer to his body to block the sudden chill. "It sounds like he's had a rather difficult past, so I don't think he'll want to talk about it much." Mari and Alexandra exchange a look, but acquiesce with a small nod. "Have any of you gotten the chance to meet him?"

"Nope," Alexandra replies, popping her 'p.' "But I got a text from Tohru earlier; he came in while we were getting ice cream, and he's been setting up his room since."

Jaye's head suddenly pops over her shoulder, displaying a shocked face. "You have Akaike's number!"

"We're friends," she says blandly, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Mmm, maybe I should go back… I'm getting bored."

Alexandra has always been very blunt about her thoughts and feelings, so nobody is particularly offended when she says this. Contrarily, they all agree, some louder than others. "Maybe we'll be able to catch a glimpse of this mystery man," Jaye suggests excitedly.

"Or he'll run away when he hears you coming," Mari snickers, earning a light nudge from his elbow. "Let's get Akaike, Kaito, and Matching some ice cream before we go back, though. Lord knows registration day is the worst."

* * *

Back at the coed dormitory, a skinny girl in a black poker hat runs around erratically, shouting and cursing under her breath. "Albrecht," she grunts bitterly under her breath, grabbings stacks of papers and highlighters and pens. "School hasn't even started and I'm already getting an ulcer… I should just have him fired. Useless…" Several items drop from her heavily occupied arms, but she if she notices them she doesn't care, therefore leaving a trail of office supplies behind her. "I swear, when I see him- Oh!"

She walks straight into another body, but she's the only one who staggers back from the impact. Yelping because everything that she's managed to a keep a hold of has fallen to the ground, she drops to her knees and moves quickly to gather them.

"S-s-sorry! I'm so sorry!" apologizes the masculine voice. The sturdy wall she had a run in with joins her on the ground and assists her as much as he can. "I should have been paying more attention, I'm so sorry."

Bad mood evaporating almost instantly, she laughs as she takes the objects from his hands. "It's fine, it's fine," she reassures, standing up. "I was in such a hurry, and.. Oh! Calin!"

He flushes a brilliant shade of red when she addresses him, can't even bring himself to look her in the eyes. He mumbles something that sounds like, "Good afternoon, Ayumu," but she's not quite sure because it's so quiet. He clears his throat and adjusts the black fedora so that it hides his green eyes. "I, er… Um, I… just need the, uh… Er." He swallows thickly, but it doesn't seem to help much.

Ayumu Itachi giggles, finding his impossible shyness endearing. "Are you looking for these, Calin?" She hands him a small stack of papers for check-in, at which he nods before shakily taking them from her. "Here," she says, offering him a pen. "Just hand 'em in when you're done. I'd give you your key, but Albrecht's out and for some reason he took both…"

Calin tries his hardest to smile, but being around females has always made him painfully nervous and he can't quite ignore the war drum in his chest. Therefore, he wordlessly takes the pen and sits himself down in the corner, where he begins to sign and fill out his information."

While the brunet keeps to himself, Ayumu begins sorting through the papers and folders on her makeshift desk, which is nothing more than a fold-up table from the fourth floor closet. Though she's still inwardly fuming at her fellow RA (who's really done nothing to even imply that he has any responsibility), being in the presence of her dorm mate and being back at school brings a mirthful smile to her face. Sometimes, she feels like this place is more like home than her house in England.

"Hey, Ayumu."

The grin on her face broadens when she looks up and finds her fellow second year standing before her. Yumiko Sakura has several bags on her, one of which has several sharp edges protruding from it. "Did you bring enough video games to last you the year, Yuu?" Ayumu teases, and the amber-haired girl grins impishly. "Here you go."

Yumiko takes the papers, but simply lays them down on the other side of the table and begins scribbling. "'S everyone here yet?" she asks, her voice naturally quiet.

"Suyin got here earlier and already unpacked, and I think I saw her go out with her camera earlier," she answers. "Calin's over there, like you probably saw," (unknown to them, his ears twitch at the sound of his name on the other side of the lounge), "I have no idea where Yukatanabe is, and Albrecht's just being an ass, like usual."

She chortles at the last comment. "Useless."

"You're telling me." Ayumu sighs as she leans back in her seat. "I ran into Avery Vallen on the way up here and asked her to tell him to come back if she saw him. Not that he's ever done well with commands or anything, but…" Her eyes travel to the window, and she blinks furiously at what she sees. "Is that…?"

'What's wrong?"

Ayumu is standing up now, eyes narrowed and mouth slightly ajar. "It's… nothing, I guess," she says, but it's more of a question than a statement. When she sits back down, she tries to convince herself that she didn't see a little boy with white hair in a long brown coat and collar.

On the other side of the room, Calin tries to tell himself the same thing.

* * *

Seichi sighs, both tired and content, as he falls onto his bed. The springy mattress and red bed sheets greet him like an old friend, and he reciprocates them with (literally) open arms. Unpacking and setting up his side of the dorm has taken almost all day, and it's nearly seven o' clock now. His stomach rumbles, but he's not hungry enough to get up and satiate himself.

He barely shifts his head to the side, so that he's no longer suffocated by his pillow and so that he can appreciate his roommate's side of the room. Photographs of nature are framed all along his wall, along with pinned up sketches and a couple pictures of who Seichi assumes are his family. It's very bright and inviting, and Seichi hopes the other inhabitant is just as welcoming as his room decorations.

_"I think you're rooming with Akito-san since you're both seconds years,"_ he remembers Tohru saying. Akito is the name of his roommate.

Seichi begins to drift off as he thinks about the enigma, who he hasn't seen all day. As his eyes slowly begin to close, his gaze lazily focused on the framed family picture on Akito's desk, he can't help but think, _"It must be nice to have a family."_

* * *

He's sitting in the room of mirrors again, and again he can't help but feel as though he's not alone. When he looks around, though, he sees only himself - well, repeated images of himself, but no one else has his bizarre blend of black and silver hair. "A dream," he mumbles to himself, before directing his eyes forward.

Sure enough, the same long-nosed man from the night before is sitting in front of him. "Welcome back," he greets, bearing an eerie grin. "It appears as though your journey has finally begun. A great ordeal awaits you… but how will you handle it?"

Seichi's gaze wanders to the quiet platinum blonde sitting next to Igor; she's casually filing her nails and humming under her breath. If Igor notices his distraction, he doesn't let on.

"All of you possess great potential." He steals another glance around, but sure enough it's just him. Who is Igor talking to? "But it is up to you to grasp and use it. Remember, in the course of your journey, that there are two sides to every story."

He doesn't even get the chance to ask for clarification, because Igor is already waving him away. The black-and-and white tile floor races underneath him, the seat he's in flies backwards, and the door closes.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

AGAIN - I am so sorry that this took so long to update and get out. I am the woooorst. D:

Before you let me know how terrible I am, though (ahaha), there are just a few things I need to know: **1) what club(s) would your character like to join? **and **2) how much would you like to see of the original Persona 3/4 characters?** I was going to include them as small cameos anyway, but I may give them a bigger role if you'd like to see more of them.

I wanted to introduce all the characters in this chapter, so I'm sorry to those who didn't get to see as much of their character as they'd like. D: I promise that character development will happen, though, and I'm excited to continue with this story. :)

_always with love,  
__der kapitan_


	3. through the looking glass

_Author's Note__:_

So I went to see The Amazing Spiderman the other day and it was AMAZING. Superhero movies are my favorite because they so rarely disappoint these days, and even if I liked the original Spiderman I thiiiink this one may have topped it.

BUT ANYWAY - thank you to everyone who reviewed! :3 **Le Roach**, **Sayuko25**, **MewStarrrr0013**, **DeathOverLord**, **ViperMT**, **a-Goto**, **Demons Anarchy**, **PaintDestiny** - you guys are the best and are the greatest inspiration for this story.

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Two  
Through the Looking Glass

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 8, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin International Boarding School_

It's been two days since Seichi's move into the dormitory, and he's had yet to meet his roommate. When he asks Tohru about the situation early in the morning on the way to school, he can see she's trying to disguise her concern. "I'm not sure to be honest," she says, eyebrows drawn inward. "Akito-san's always been pretty punctual, so it's like him to have everything set up in his room before school starts, but…" She suddenly slaps a smile onto her face, as though to ease his worries; it only increases them. "I'm sure he's fine, Hakurata-kun, and he'll be pleased to know that his roommate is so caring." The corner of his lips quirks upward at her compliment.

"So, ah…" The two stop just outside the large, shiny gates, where students are rushing in and out before classes commence. "This is it."

Kaihin International Boarding School is certainly a sight to behold, with large modern buildings and perfectly trimmed hedges. There's even a fountain in the middle of the red-bricked courtyard with stone statues depicting a familiar scene. Noticing that his gaze is lingering on the fountain, Tohru smiles and motions for him to follow her. "It sure is something, isn't it?"

He bobs his head in agreement. "This isn't a religious school, though, is it?" A large stone tree sprouts from the center of the fountain, and standing on either side of it is a man and a woman. The serpent in the tree is goading the young woman, whose fingers are only centimeters away from grasping the fruit dangling from a branch. The story of Genesis replays in his mind over and over again as he admires the handiwork and expressions of the man and woman; he swears they could be alive.

"No, it's just supposed to symbolize the power of knowledge," she explains. "Once we gain the knowledge of truth, we have to decide what we do with it - do we use it for evil or for good?"

Her answer is probably written somewhere in the leaflet for the school, but Seichi finds himself seriously contemplating the question anyway. "Maybe you should join the Philosophy Club," she says teasingly, breaking through his thoughts. "Alexandra's vice president, you know. I've never been really good at thinking about why the world works, but they cover stuff like this all the time."

"Maybe," he replies, thinking that Philosophy Club doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. "Are you part of any clubs?"

Tohru nods excitedly as they continue their trek into the school and exchange their outdoor shoes for indoor ones. "Yup! I'm in the soccer club and on the health committee. It's a little hard juggling both since practice is almost every day, and I'm kinda a little more dedicated to soccer…" She laughs impishly. "Alexandra and Akito-san are amazing, though; they're on _three_, and they manage to make it to every meeting."

"Is there a cooking club?" he asks, hopefulness peaking in his voice.

"I didn't know you were a cook!" Tohru gushes, and he blushes mostly because he can see his adoptive father laughing at the idea of someone actually believing he can cook (well). Before he can correct her, she continues, "Yeah, there definitely is. Avery's in it, I'm pretty sure…"

"G'morning, kids!" Tohru gasps when Jaye throws his arms around their shoulders, pulling them in for a quasi-hug. "You should've waited for the rest of us this morning; that way we could have walked together." When Seichi finally manages to duck out from underneath his upperclassman's arm, he notices that two other people from the dorm have joined them.

The girl with the pink stripe in her hair chortles. "Not everyone can handle your amount of happy so early in the morning."

He winces. "Ouch, Mari. So cruel and it's only the first day of school."

She shrugs, then turns her eyes to Seichi; he jumps under her scrutinizing crystal eyes. Though he's met everyone in the dorm (excluding his own roommate), he hasn't really had the chance to talk and get to know all of them. All he knows about Mari Senjeko is that she is a year older than him and his senpai, and apparently she does a pretty good job of harassing Jaye.

"Good morni-" He doesn't even get the chance to complete his greeting because she's already walked off.

"Don't mind her," Steven says, noticing his look of confusion. "It takes her a while to warm up to new people." Seichi nods slowly, not entirely convinced, as he watches the retreating back of the older girl. "So, have you guys figured out what class you're in yet?"

"Not yet," Tohru answers, making a grab for Seichi's wrist so she can drag him over to a long line of bulletin boards. "Just look for your name," she instructs, "and it should be somewhere in this row…" She claps her hands excitedly when she finds her own name on a list. "Ooo, Class 2-D! Look, look - we're in the same class, Hakurata-kun! Hmmm, I wonder who else… Oh, Akito-san's supposed to be in our class, too…"

From behind them, Seichi can hear the upperclassman muttering between themselves. "Damn, we got Erik again," he hears Jaye grumble. "Though we got Mari… Too bad we didn't get the others, though. I was hoping that all of us would be in the same class for our senior year."

Steven sighs. "I guess we just got unlucky."

The shrill ring of the bell silences the buzz in the hallway, but only for a brief moment. Suddenly, everyone is running in different directions, shouting at and for their friends, leaving Seichi in a daze. Steven and Jaye dismiss themselves, while Tohru urges for him to follow her. "We better get going," she says, heading up a flight of stairs. "We're on the second floor, and we don't wanna be late on our first day!"

* * *

Being able to come to a prestigious school like this is an honor and a privilege, especially considering his background, but Seichi is finding it more and more difficult to stay awake with each passing class. By the time lunch rolls around, his head is resting in his arms and his eyes are half shut. "You're not too tired for lunch, are you?" Tohru chirps, standing in front of his desk with her hands on her hips. "I packed both of us bento this morning just in case you forgot."

"Thanks," he says gratefully, taking the neatly wrapped package from her.

"Sure! Oh, Alexandra said she was going to join us… She's in Class 2-A, I think, so she should be here soon…" As she looks towards the sliding doors, her gaze falls upon something - or someone - else. "Ah… Did you say you've never been to Namikaze before, Hakurata-kun?"

"Yeah," he answers while wearily eyeing the bizarre green shake she packed for him. Its texture reminds him of grass…

She presses her lips together thoughtfully. "Well, don't turn around too quickly, but there's a girl back there who's been staring at you since before classes started."

Putting down the cup, he slowly looks over his shoulder, and sure enough a girl in the back row is staring pointedly at him. He jumps because she's looking (_glaring_, he thinks with concern) at him so intensely, and she's not even trying to hide it. Upon closer inspection, though, she does look familiar, but how can someone forget eyes that blue…? "I don't know," he says honestly, after a moment of silence. "I mean, I don't think I know her, but…"

"Oi, Tohru." Alexandra walks up to both of them, settles her dark blue eyes on Seichi in a manner reminiscent of the way Mari looked at him earlier. "Transfer student." He thinks this is her way of greeting him and can't help but feel slightly offended even when Tohru quietly laughs. "I see you let Tohru pack your lunch," she says, taking a seat across from him and next to the honey blonde.

When he looks down into the small box for the first time, he's unsure of how he feels about the tofu, protein bar, tuna, and rice crackers. When he looks back up, he's sure he feels guilty because of Tohru's beaming and expectant face, so he forces himself to take a bite of the strangely-colored bar.

"Eating healthy is important," she says seriously.

"Mmhmm," replies Alexandra, not even trying to sound sincere. Seichi allows himself to steal a glance at her bento, which he jealously notes has rice and breaded pork. "I've got Sakura and Itachi in my class. 'Looks like you got the other one."

Tohru cocks her head to the side. "Who are you talking about?"

The dark-haired girl unabashedly points her chopsticks at the girl who's been (and still is) staring at Seichi. "Anagi Yukatanabe. She lives on the fourth floor, remember?" While a look of awe and remembrance strikes Tohru's face, something akin to realization dawns on his. Noticing, Alexandra quirks an eyebrow. "Do you know her or something?"

"M-maybe," he answers slowly, reluctant to make eye contact with the girl. "I feel like… I mean, her name is definitely…"

"Maybe you should just ask her," she suggests simply, taking a bite from her boxed lunch. "It's a lot easier than asking yourself questions you don't have the answers to." Tohru shoots him a look of apology for Alexandra's bluntness, but he silently agrees that she may be right. She doesn't look interested in the topic at hand anymore, though, as her eyes are focused on the scenery outside the window. "Hm, it's looks like it's going to rain."

* * *

With his book bag heavy with homework, Seichi heads back to the dorm on his own after school. Tohru apologized for being unable to accompany him, citing her start-of-the-year soccer meeting as the offender, while he hadn't seen Alexandra from lunch (and he doubts she'd want to walk with him anyway, without Tohru). He doesn't mind, though; Seichi enjoys solitude, as it gives him time to think and really take in his new surroundings.

_"Maybe I should visit him later this week,"_ he thinks, thoughts drifting towards his father.

Jumping from foster home to foster home wasn't the ideal childhood, and it eventually came to a point where he refused potential families. He was ten at the time and spent the next two years living in an orphanage in Kyoto, running around on his own. When he was twelve, he was adopted by the chef of a local restaurant, who gave him everything he didn't have in twelve years. When he discovered that Seichi had been given the opportunity (and scholarship) to attend the renown Kaihin International Boarding School, he left behind his twenty year job so they could move to Namikaze.

He sighs as he rubs the back of his neck, coming to a stop. His father's yelled at him for it before, but he can't help but feel bad every now and then. They'd only been together for four years, and he was so willing to drop everything he'd made for himself in Kyoto just for Seichi - and he wasn't even his _real_ son…

_"Don't be stupid,"_ he can practically hear his dad saying. _"You don't need blood to be family. Now quit your whining and step away from the stove."_

"Mmm, or I'll just give him a call later," he decides as he pushes his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Oh, uh, sorry."

He doesn't notice the little boy until he's practically running him over, and quickly shuffles backwards. "I didn't see you there." He tries to smile, but the boy's face is so void of emotion that it doesn't last longer than two seconds. "Umm…" The boy is looking at him without really acknowledging that he's there; his eyes are narrowed in scrutiny, but in a way that suggests he's looking at a thing rather than a person. "Excuse me…" When he tries to sidestep, the white-haired boy follows.

Seichi's brow furrows at the silent child who refuses to answer or let him pass. He takes in his strange appearance - pale hair, a collar, a long brown coat, a ski hat, brown leather boots - and looks around to see if anyone else can see him. Several passersby steal curious glances in their direction, some making quiet commentary about the boy's unnatural hair, and Seichi is slightly relieved to know that he isn't just seeing apparitions of strange little boys.

As soon as he looks back, though, the boy is gone.

_"Maybe it _was_ an apparition,"_ he thinks dismally, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"'Scuse me." He quickly spins around, thinking that it might be the little boy, but is disappointed (or relieved, he's not quite sure) to see that it's a girl from school. Her light brown hair hangs down her back in a simple plait, her gray-and-blue school uniform is kept neat and tidy. He remembers her as the girl who lives on the fourth floor, the one with the Chinese accent. "You're a bit in the way."

"Oh, sorry." He moves to the side, giving her leeway to cross the sidewalk, but she doesn't take it. For the third time that day, he finds himself under the scrutiny of a female's eyes. "You, uh, live in my dorm," he says awkwardly, shifting his feet.

"Yes," she replies. She watches him hesitantly, as though waiting for him to act, before nodding her head. Holding her bag closer to her body, she slides past him with grace, but before she can leave he calls out to her. "What?" she asks, surprised to hear her name come from his mouth.

"Did you…" He thinks about the question, realizing how bizarre it sounds, but it's too late to retract it now. "Did you happen to see a boy on the way here? White hair, long brown coat, about this tall…"

Her questioning look makes him flush and wish he could sink into the ground. "No, sorry. Are you looking for your brother?" He shakes his head adamantly, which creates further confusion. "Well, alright then." Shooting him a furtive glance over her shoulder, she finally departs, headed back for the dormitory.

Seichi sighs, sure that his first impression upon Suyin Wan is less than impressive. "I need a nap," he mutters to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets to shield them from the cold. As he continues his walk, he tries to ignore the nagging feeling that someone is watching him.

* * *

Late at night, the inhabitants of the first two floors of the coed dormitory sit around the coffee table. "Where's Hakurata?" Steven asks as Tohru puts down his heated drink in front of him, then the others.

"Sleeping," Alexandra answers for Tohru, who's too preoccupied with her job as server to say anything. "When we checked earlier, he was working on homework, so he's just tired."

"Well, it is the first day of school," Kaito reasons. "And he's a transfer student, so it must have been particularly difficult and long for him. A good rest is what he needs. Ah, thank you." He takes his coffee with a grateful nod, then blows on it before raising it to his lips. "By the way, the three of you are in the same class, aren't you?"

"Not so much."

He looks to Tohru for an elaboration. "Alexandra got put in another class," she says, sounding a bit depressed, as she takes a seat between Kyle and Avery. "Akito-san is going to be in our class, though, so when he comes back, it'll be the three of us…" She drifts off, and everyone knows exactly what it is she is going to say next. "Do you know when he'll be coming back?"

Kaito and Steven, her fellow resident advisors, shake their heads. "And if you guys don't know, there's no way we'll know," Avery says, leaning back into the couch as she sips her hot chocolate. "I wouldn't worry about him, though. Walker's always been able to take care of himself. Maybe he's just taking a break? Lord knows we all need one."

"He was here, though, didn't you say?" Kyle asks, turning to Steven. "He moved in before the rest of us did."

"Yeah, but…" Steven exchanges a look with Kaito and Tohru, who are both donning expressions of worry. "Well, when he moved in, he was a lot more… reserved than usual. He didn't really have a lot to say, and he wasn't listening or talking with us."

"He's deaf," Alexandra states plainly.

The brunet scowls. "That's not what I meant! He's always been really happy, you know? He just seemed really depressed and didn't wanna be with any of us. And you know, the night he left was the night we saw that mirror."

"The broken mirror in the boys' bathroom?" Mari questions. "I thought you guys said that was there before anyone moved in. Didn't someone break in during the break?"

"That's what we wrote on the report," Kaito admits grimly. "We didn't want the other division getting wind of it, but… We're pretty sure it was Walker. It was just us three and him, and it was fine before he came. We couldn't find any evidence, but circumstances point to him. I was going to talk to him about it later that night, but he hasn't come back."

"Aren't you worr-"

Mari cuts herself off immediately when the front door opens. Realizing that he's walked in on something important - probably because of the uncanny silence - Calin turns a peculiar shade of white and pulls down his fedora. His shoes are still wet and leave marks on the wooden floor, but he hastily moves towards the stairs. "Sorry," they hear him mumble as he passes, though he doesn't spare one of them a glance.

"I don't think he heard anything," Mari says, though quietly, when the sounds of his footsteps fade away. Though they all quietly agree, they change the topic of the conversation, afraid of any further unwanted interruptions.

Unknown to them, hidden behind the corner, Seichi hears all that was meant to be unheard.

* * *

It's the curiosity that gets the better of him, even if everything is advising him against it. During his first night, he'd been instructed by Kaito to not use the boys' bathroom on the second floor, and that even if he wanted to it was taped off for construction. Seichi didn't question it, even if having to go down to the first floor to the girls' bathroom was both bothersome and embarrassing. (He was still mentally recovering from running into Alexandra while he was in there; she'd simply and calmly told him to get out in a calm voice before chucking a shampoo bottle at him.) After overhearing what the others had said, though…

His heterochromatic eyes quickly scan the hallway, double checking to make sure that he is alone. The muffled voices from the lounge drift up the stairs, assuring him that he will not be caught in the act. Nodding to himself, Seichi peels back the yellow tape and turns the door knob, then quietly slips in.

He's sees it the moment he closes the door behind him. The full-length mirror is cracked completely, with several pieces sitting on the tile floor. Moonlight streams through the window, creating an eerie collage on the reflective surface. Seichi carefully walks towards the mirror, stepping over stray pieces, until he's standing directly in front of it. One blue eye and one red eye stares back at him, portraying his expression of curiosity and nervousness.

_Crack._

"AGH!" Seichi drops to his knees, sharp glass ignored, and raises his hands to his throbbing his head. The pounding beats relentlessly against the inside of his skull, demanding to be released-

He reaches out, trying to hold on to something, trying to get a grip on what's happening, places his hand and all his weight against the broken mirror-

- and falls through.

* * *

"Do I need to be here?" Yumiko demands quietly as she walks out into the lounge on the fourth floor, where five others are waiting for her. Clutched in both of her hands, thumbs still pounding furiously against it, is the handheld console that so often accompanies her. "I'm almost at level ninety-seven, and if I lose I'm blaming you…" Her green glare settles on the bemused dark-haired German.

"You guys always blame me for these things," he snickers as he leans back in his seat. "Besides, I think there are more important matters at hand than a simple video game, hmm, _liebe_?" Her glare sharpens so intensely that it's a wonder how he can continue to smile at her so airily. "Well, now that everyone is here…"

"Are you sure you heard them correctly?" Suyin asks Calin, managing to both irritate Erik and confuse Yumiko. "You said it was raining, and the door must have muffled their voices." She rolls her eyes when she catches Erik's frown. "I would just like to clarify that what he heard is true before we go into another long-winded meeting. We've all got school tomorrow and I'd rather not waste my time." Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Calin shrinking ever-so-slightly, and her lips twitch downward. "Er, no offense, or anything," she adds awkwardly.

The green-eyed male shakes his head understandingly, though he can't quite bring himself to look her in the eyes. "No, I understand, of course…" He clears his throat and focuses his gaze on an interesting pattern in the rug. "Akito Sozuki - or Walker as they call him, for whatever reason - has been missing for the past couple of days. He's the reason why the males have been sneaking into our bathroom every now and then."

Anagi, who has been looking at her nails with disinterest, raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, so? Who cares if they're missing a roommate? 'Doesn't affect us…"

Erik smirks. "The roommate of one Seichi Hakurata, I hear," he corrects, and the way she straightens up so suddenly at the name causes his smirk to widen.

Ayumu looks over at the auburn-haired teen, whose discomfort is impossible to hide. "Do you know him, Anagi?"

"Who cares?" Yumiko mutters, so inaudibly that no one (not even Erik, who's always had a penchant for eavesdropping) hears her.

"That's neither here nor there," Suyin intervenes, saving Anagi some embarrassment. "What's the point?"

Erik and Calin exchange a look, after which the former gives the latter an approving nod. "They mentioned that the reason why they can't use the bathroom on their floor is because of a broken mirror, and that Sozuki's been missing since it was broken."

Despite Erik's grin, the atmosphere becomes much heavier. Yumiko's thumbs have stopped their movement, and she bears such a stunned expression that Suyin's harsh scowl softens. "So then it's like with Sakura last year," the Chinese girl mumbles, observing the way that Yumiko's shoulders are beginning to shake.

"So then what are we going to do?" Ayumu asks, shifting her look of concern from Yumiko to Erik. "We can't just leave it-"

"Or we can," Erik cuts her off, something like joy dancing behind his cerulean eyes. "Let's wait a little, huh? Maybe the other division will show us they aren't completely useless. Or maybe they'll demonstrate just how worthless they really are."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

Phew! That's it for this chapter! I really wanted to add more about the dungeon/other side of the mirror, but then it would get too long-winded, and I think it kinda deserves a chapter on its own.

Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed and answered my questions from the last chapter! I think I will just stick to small cameos, but they'll definitely have an influence in the story. Also, here's what I have for clubs - please message/review and let me know if there's anything wrong, or if you haven't already requested a club for your character:

**Cooking Club**: Seichi Hakurata, Anagi Yukatanabe, Avery Vallen

**Soccer Club**: Seichi Hakurata, Tohru Akaike

**Tennis Club**: Anagi Yukatanabe

**Boxing Club**: Avery Vallen, Alexandra Sainome

**Philosophy Club**: Alexandra Sainome

**Music Club**: Alexandra Sainome, Erik Albrecht

**Student Council**: Kaito Minamoto, Jaye Cameron, Erik Albrecht (Disciplinary Committee)

**Basketball Club**: Kaito Minamoto

**Photography Club**: Suyin Wan

**Art Club**: Mari Senjeko

**Library Committee**: Mari Senjeko, Yumiko Sakura

**Yearbook Committee**: Akito "Walker" Sozuki

**Audio-Video Club**: Akito "Walker" Sozuki

**Track Club**: Akito "Walker" Sozuki

**Tech Club**: Yumiko Sakura

Now, I've got a couple more important questions: **1) What is your character's innermost desire/dream? This will directly affect their "dungeon."** and **2) I would like to include minor Social Links (mostly classmates) to aid to your characters' development and characterization. Would any of you be up for submitting a minor character for this?**

Alright! Well, until next time, and I hope to hear from you soon!

_always with love,  
__der kapitan_


	4. the fool

_Author's Note__:_

Thank you to everyone for your replies and help from the last chapter - you are the _best_. Special thanks to **Phil the Persona Guy**, **PaintDestiny**, **MewStar0013**, **Tindra44**, **DeathOverLord**, **ViperMT**, **Sayuko25**, **Demons Anarchy**, and **a-Goto** for reviewing!

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Three  
The Fool

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 8, 2013, ?_

After what feels like an eternity, Seichi hits something solid. His head is still pounding when he sits up, groaning and clutching at his temples. "Damn," he grunts, feeling a sting of pain on his side from where he awkwardly landed. "What the hell was tha…" He opens his eyes and finds that he is no longer in the second floor boys' bathroom.

The familiar black and white tiles illuminate an eerie blue glow, as do the walls. Hanging from the walls, going all the way down the seemingly endless hallway, are images of the same man: a tall, dark-haired, middle-aged male who holds himself with dignity, dressed in an austere chef's jacket. Each image, Seichi notes grimly, is marred with a single slash across the man's face, tearing out his eyes and facial features.

With heavy limbs, Seichi picks himself up and stands up close to the nearest image. Something akin to fear strikes inside him when he looks up at the portrait; he doesn't need the eyes or the nose to know who this is. "Dad," he whispers, reaching out with a shaky hand to touch it.

_Per…_

"AAGH!" Yelling in pain, Seichi drops to his knees. The throbbing behind his temples increases in tempo, forcing him to shut his eyes and apply more pressure to his head.

_Per… so…_

In the condensed agony, he can barely make out a soft whisper in the back of his mind. He thinks he might be imagining it, but it's so soothing and faint, so unlike the loud torment in his head. He wants to hear more, wants to ask it what it's saying, but the onslaught of pain has made it nearly impossible to move.

_… na…_

Something bright shines behind his eyes, forcing them open. There is a light at the end of the hallway that wasn't there before. Seichi's shoulders are still heaving from the strain on his mind and body, but he manages to get to his feet. The whispering that may or may not be a figment of his imagination urges him on, encourages him to seek the light.

He doesn't think about how strange all of this is, how completely impossible it is to fall through the other side of a mirror, how dangerous it may be to listen to a voice he can't fully hear. He's seeking answers he doesn't even have the questions to, but he knows - he just _knows_ - that what he wants is at the end of this hallway. He doesn't notice the round red eyes peering at him through the portraits' gashes, he's so focused on the light.

When he reaches the end, he has to hold onto the wall for support. Seichi's foster father smiles down at him in a large painting hanging from the wall, but he's not alone in this image. A five-year-old depiction of Seichi is held in his strong arms, with his own smaller arms wrapped around his neck. Both are grinning, with shining eyes and jovial expressions.

_"This isn't real,"_ he thinks, eyes darting back and forth between the characters. _"This can't be real."_ Seichi hadn't met his father until he was twelve. This painting is a fake.

_… Perso… na…_

_ CRACK._

"No!" The pain is more overwhelming then before, spreading from his head to the rest of his body like fire. He's completely immobilized, unable to open his eyes or stand up as he succumbs to the over bearing torture.

"**I've always been alone.**" Even if it's years younger, Seichi could never mistake his own voice. He looks up in horror and realizes that it's coming from the painting. "**My parents died, nobody wanted me… I grew up in the orphanage because no one wanted me. They kept sending me back, sending me back… Sometimes I thought I would die alone.**"

Seichi shakes his head, not because he denies it but because of its truth.

"**I just wanted someone who wanted me back. I wanted someone to love me. But I was scared…**"

He painfully remembers the cold nights in the orphanage, the foster homes who always sent him back after a month, the terrible feeling of hope dashed again and again. He remembers feeling alone in a room full of children, never really being happy even on holidays, watching with wide and expectant eyes when couples came to adopt his friends. But these memories are not ones he often relives because-

"**But then Dad saved me. Dad gave me a home, not a house. Dad loved me even when I blew up his microwave and burned his toast every morning. Dad was the only person in the world who never stopped loving me.**"

His eyes seek out the familiar brown gaze in the portrait. The artist, whoever they may be, managed to perfectly portray the emotion: the strictness that always keeps Seichi in line, barely concealing the kindness he puts into his everyday words and actions. Seichi feels a great rush of affection for the man staring back at him and momentarily forgets the situation he's in.

"**I want to spend the rest of my life with him.**" Something has changed in his voice, Seichi realizes. "**They tell me I have to leave eventually, that I can't depend on him forever. They tell me I'll have to be on my own again and be independent - I've been on my own my entire life! Who needs them? They don't understand!**" The childlike voice morphs, so that it sounds more and more like his currently. There's something else, though, something darker behind it. "**They don't know what it's like to have no parents, to be afraid of dying alone! I've finally got someone - they can't take him away from me**!"

A weak yell tears from his throat as he falls back, eyes wide, body shaking. A black, thick substance begins to permeate through the canvas, bubbling and oozing past the familiar faces. It slowly drips to the ground, gathering together to create a larger form, but Seichi does nothing to stop it; he can only stare, awestruck and disgusted, as the creature burns through the child's - his - face.

The liquid heap on the ground gradually begins to build itself up, shifting and changing, until its silhouette resembles a jester. His fingerless hands clutch a long pole, which has a tied bag at the end, and at his heels is a barking dog. Seichi finds himself peering up into the fathomless red eyes, but only for a moment. A sharp toothed grin rips apart the jesters face and, in the same instant, a light blue mask slides down over it; etched into its forehead is a simple '0'.

"**I am the Fool,**" it says, its voice echoing as Seiichi's and the child's. He recognizes it as the voice from the portrait. "**The divine inspiration, freedom, innocence, madness, spontaneity, inexperience, creativity, chaos. I am the number Zero, the void from which all other things begin. I am your dreams and your innermost desires. I am your fear and withholdings.** **I am you.**"

Fear grips everything in his body, but even if every piece of logic is telling him to run, he knows he can't. The soft, whispering voice has returned with more strength, but the headache makes it impossible to understand exactly what it's saying.

_… Per…_

The Fool is gliding towards him; Seichi can almost see it grinning behind its mask.

_… so…_

It raises its pole, preparing to strike, to wipe him out, to kill-

_… na…_

_CRACK_.

With the sound of shattering glass, his headache disappears completely. The vivid image of a playing card dances behind his closed eyes; he sees the picture imprinted on it, recognizes it as the Fool standing before him, and reaches out to grasp it. "Persona," he breathes, repeating the sounds of a word whispered into his ear. The card is real, its texture firm in his hand, but not completely unmoving. The whispers are increasing now, flowing through him from the card, telling him what to do.

There is no longer fear in his eyes when he looks up at the Fool, who towers over him menacingly. With newfound courage and confidence, he tightly crushes the card, shattering it into hundreds of blue shards, and shouts, "Persona!"

A wave of emotions surge through his body like an earthquake, reaching even the tips of his fingers and the ends of his toes. He feels powerful, energized, and triumphant - unlike anything he's ever felt before.

He steps back, out of surprise, when the figure of a tall man materializes before him, clothed in the same blue light that accompanied the card. The man's voice is strong, but certainly not human: "**I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I hath emerged. I am the Eternal Sinner, Cain. My other half, see how one's jealousy leads to eternal damnation.**" In one hand he holds a spear, and in the other the heads of rotting crops.

Seichi looks up in awe, his memories reeling back to the school's fountain and the first book int he Bible. "You're… here to help me?"

Cain nods once before turning on the Fool, who attacks him with a deadly screech. He blocks the pole with his spear, barely staggers backwards, and pushes the offender away. He holds out the hand with the crops, and in a flash of darkness the Fool is on his knees, wailing and crying; the dog yips mournfully as it too is subdued by Cain's power. Then, with a single jab of his spear, Cain pierces through his enemy, and the Fool collapses. Seichi watches, dumbstruck, as its body slowly disintegrates into the ground, leaving behind only the mask with the '0'.

Cain turns back to Seichi, but he knows not to be afraid. The two share a mutual nod, then Cain disappears.

The strength and energy that coursed through him is instantly replaced with fatigue. He fall to his knees, tired and drained, but still seeking more answers.

_What's Persona?_

_ What was that thing that attacked me?_

_ How did it know everything about me?_

_ What is this place?_

The questions running through his mind mentally exhaust him, so that now he wants nothing more than to sleep. He lays down on the cool tile, savoring the way it feels on his skin, and closes his eyes. _"Not for long,"_ he thinks, _"just a little while."_ Something is telling him that this is not safe, that he needs to leave before something - what, though? - comes and attacks, but he's just so _tired_.

"Hakurata?"

Seichi jerks only slightly. He can hear the voice and he knows it's real, but where is it coming from? It sounds so familiar…

"Hakurata, are you in here?" It's one of the guys from the dorm, Steven, he thinks. "Damn… The tape was gone, so he probably popped in. I don't think anyone's in here, though. Are you sure he isn't in his room?"

"You were with us when we checked," snaps Jaye. "There's no way he could have been hiding in there. I know for a fact he's not in the other division 'cause Albrecht would have started screaming about it… Hey." The sound of glass moving is painfully vivid, like it's right up against his ear. "Why hasn't this glass been cleaned up yet? Isn't this a health hazard?"

Steven scoffs, and from the increased volume in his voice, Seichi can surmise that he's stepped close to the mirror as well. "We've called maintenance to fix it a million times, but they still haven't showed up. … Hm. Do you think…?" There's a moment of silence between the two that seems to drag on for hours. "… Like Walker, you think? Maybe he…"

"But how could he?" Jaye replies quickly; there's a hint of hysteria behind his words. "You can only do it if you have the potential."

"Well, didn't you think it was a little weird how he could transfer into our dorm? I mean, Kirijo always keeps a close eye on the applicants, so maybe…"

"I don't know, mate…"

"Well, there's only one way to see." First silence, then footsteps so close that Seichi knows they had to be at the end of the hallway. "Well, here we- Woah. What in the hell happened to this place? I feel like it changes every time we come in here…"

"Can we leave? These pictures are ruddy terrifying. I hate coming in here."

"We just got here, Jaye…"

"I know, but I hate- … Hakurata? Hakurata, is that you?" Seichi only has to stir ever-so-slightly to have both Jaye and Steven running towards him. "Bloody hell, how did you get in this mess? Are you alright?" They manage to prop him up so that he's sitting against the wall, but already he's slipping; he barely has the energy to keep himself awake, and everything just keeps getting darker and fuzzier… "Oi, oi, Hakurata, get yourself together, eh? How are you- Hey!"

"You don't think he's gonna go into a coma or anything do you?" Steven asks worriedly, holding a hand against Seichi's cool forehead. "Damn, damn! What do we do?"

"This place is tiring him out," Jaye says, standing up. "We need to get him out of here. Hey, Hakurata, stay with us, alright? We're gonna get help and everything will be okay." Jaye and Steven hoist him up, each holding him by draping an arm across their shoulders. "Try and stay awake."

Seichi head lolls in an attempt at a nod, but he feels like something heavy is pressing on his eyelids. He's trying to grasp onto their voices and pleas, trying to stay awake and well, but his body feels like a heavy weight and just keeping his eyes open has become such an arduous task. He mumbles a barely audible, "Sorry," before he gives into the welcoming darkness.

* * *

"… been asleep for five days…"

"… worried…"

"… Doctor said… fine… rest…"

"… have to go… if he wakes up, let us…"

When Seichi wakes up, he swears it's from the best sleep he's ever had. It's as though something heavy has been lifted from his chest, allowing him to breathe and live much more easily. He wears a lazy smile as he looks to the side- "Oh God!" he yelps, jumping in the bed that he finally recognizes is not his own, and points accusingly at the girl sitting beside him. "W-what are you doing here?"

"You're sounding awfully ungrateful to someone who doesn't even want to be here," Mari replies calmly, eyes and fingers still focused entirely on the sketchpad in her hands. These words are what pull him back down into reality and force him to take in his surroundings: white bed, white walls, white furnishings. He's in a hospital, he realizes, and everything that's happened since his move to Namikaze races through his mind.

"Oh, God," he repeats, this time much slower. "I… how long have I been here?"

"Five days," she answers, still not meeting his eyes. He notices that she's still wearing her school uniform, and that it's worn slightly crooked and out of place. "You've missed your entire first week of school - congratulations." He winces at her sarcasm, having not expected it considering the circumstances, and inwardly wishes he'd been woken up by someone like Tohru or Avery. "Lucky for you, Akaike's collected your homework every day and brought it just in case you decided to wake up. Matching and Kaito-san also wove together some cock'n'bull story to get you out of trouble with the administration. It's not every day a transfer student just decides to stop going to school before classes even start."

Her aggressiveness, though unwarranted, makes him nervous, so he sticks with keeping his mouth shut. He shifts his attention to the large stack of papers and books sitting on his nightstand and suppresses a groan. He'd be spending the entire day of his first weekend just trying to finish everything.

He only dares to look over at her when the sketching of graphite against paper comes to a stop. Her eyes still won't meet his. "How did you do it?"

Seichi blinks in confusion. "What? What do you me-"

"How did you get through to the other side?" she pushes, refusing to let him interrupt by interrupting herself. "You shouldn't have been able to do that."

He knows what she's talking about, of course, but he wants to know _how_ she knows. "What do you mean?" he asks again, feigning ignorance just so that she'll answer some questions for him.

Her sigh is so heavy and exasperated, for a moment he fears she might actually smack him over the head with her sketchbook. Instead, she looks up at him; there's something judging and tense and nervous in the bright blue depths of her eyes that forces him to sit back. (He decides he'd much rather her glare holes into inanimate objects than himself.) "The mirror world," she says testily. "Nobody should be able to touch it and go through, except-" She cuts herself off, for once looking unsure of herself. "Except others." She takes in a deep breath and sighs again. "On top of that, you shouldn't have been able to last that long on your own in there."

Seichi's previous disappointment with her lack of elaboration is replaced with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Mari deadpans, obviously unimpressed with the lack of diversity with his questions, and he grins impishly in silent apology. "On the other side, whenever we go-" She stops, noticing the mixed look of expectance and excitement on his face; she has said too much. Wordlessly, she stands up, pulls her cell phone out of her book bag, and walks out of the room.

"W-wait! What are you-?" He winces when the door slides shut. He can barely make out her muffled voice and decides against getting close to eavesdrop; she hardly seems like the kind of person who would forgive him for committing the act. Thus, with a defeated sigh, he falls back onto the pillows and closes his eyes.

He has only a minute of silence to himself before Mari returns, looking indifferent. "Our resident director will be here soon," she informs, scooping down to pick up her things. "She wants to talk to you before they release you." Seichi barely opens his mouth, question at the ready, when she's already striding through the door, leaving him alone.

"Geez," he mumbles, scratching the back of his head. He's not sure what he's done to make her dislike him so much, but maybe, he thinks, that's just the way she is.

Five minutes later, when the door slides open once again, Seichi half expects to find Mari glaring at him irately. Instead, he's (pleasantly) surprised to find a beautiful woman with long red hair and matching eyes. Though she can't be anymore than a few years older than him, she's dressed very professionally in fashionable white skirt suit and black heeled boots. "_Bonjour_," she greets, wearing a mysterious half smile. "I apologize that we had to meet under such circumstances. I'm glad to see that you're well." He can only nod, unable to formulate thoughts or words to express his confusion. Fortunately, she seems to understand. "Of course, you probably have no idea who I am. I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, your resident director. I can't be as active as other directors because I'm so often away, but I thought it'd be important to pay you a visit once you came to."

"Why?" is the first word he utters.

She blinks, then chuckles softly. "Well, according to Matching and Minamoto, you have the potential." He recognizes the term, no matter how vague or ambiguous it may be - he recalls Jaye mentioning it the other night. "But it's not just that. You've managed to face whatever is in there, in the other world, and I believe you've obtained your Persona."

These terms and the way she speaks so casually about them, only adds to confusion, but there is one thing he understands for certain: Persona. He doesn't know what it is, how he received it, or what it does, but he does know that it saved his life in the mirror. "Yeah, I guess," he replies, brow scrunched in thought. "I mean, I saw it, but… It was just instinct. I don't know what I was doing or why." He tries to explain what happened to the best of his memory and ability, but some things cannot be so easily described by words. At the end, he just sounds silly, like he's been reciting some fairytale, but, to his delight, Mitsuru looks as though she believes him. "D-do you think it was just a… a dream?"

"A dream," she murmurs, then shakes her head. "No. This may sound strange, but what you've just told me doesn't sound altogether unfamiliar. Unfortunately, I cannot divulge into details just yet. On top of that, it looks as though you're still recovering." She smiles softly. "The others will come pick you up once you're discharged. You look fine, and I think a full recovery will be best at the dorm. I'm sure you could use the company as well."

Before she can leave him, Seichi calls out to her. She turns towards him, cocking her head to the side inquisitively. "How… How do you know about all this stuff?" he asks shakily.

Her smile is meant to be reassuring, but it just confuses him further. "You'll receive your answers soon, Hakurata. I'll see you back at the dorm." With a final flash of her enigmatic red lips, she disappears.

* * *

Seichi knows he shouldn't have been expecting a welcoming party upon returning from the hospital, but he is a little disappointed in the reception in that there isn't one at all. "Anyone home?" he calls, dropping his heavy backpack onto the ground. "Geez… It's so empty."

"They've all gone out to get food, I think," Avery explains, rocking back and forth on her feet after she closes the doors behind them. "Tohru wanted to bake a cake, bless her soul, but Alexandra would have none of it. On top of that, the first week of school is finally over, so everyone's just been excited to get out of the dorm." Stretching her limbs and yawning widely, the auburn-haired female decides to claim the largest couch as her own. As her legs dangle over one of the arms, Seichi notices that she isn't wearing shoes. "Ugh, I'm exhausted."

He nudges his backpack over the chairs and couches, wanting to rest after the walk back, but a familiar figure in the distance causes him to stop. "Oh, hey there," he says, raising a hand in greeting.

Suyin looks so affronted that immediately withdraws his hand, dropping it to his side. Her dark eyes narrow at him, scrutinizing him, but she eventually decides to move on. Avery is sitting up in her seat now, having heard Seichi, and the usually playful look in her eyes has hardened considerably. The tension is so thick between the two females that he even can't ignore it.

"What are you doing down here?" Avery demands, frowning.

"Unfortunately, I've got to come down here in order to get out," Suyin replies frostily. "Though I'm sure all of you would love to see us propel ourselves out the fourth floor window." While the other girl continues to glower at her, Suyin turns abruptly to Seichi. "I heard you were in the hospital."

"W-wha…? Oh, yeah, I-"

"How do you know that?" Avery intervenes. "Your division wasn't supposed to know."

Suyin sneers mockingly at her. "Yes, well, your division isn't all that great at keeping secrets. You're all awfully loud, as well." Her eyes dart back to Seichi. "It's a bit early to be having accidents, isn't it?"

"It's really none of your business." His dorm mate is on her feet now, and though Suyin has taken a step back, he can see the fire in her gaze. "What, are you guys spying on us now?"

She scoffs loudly, unimpressed. "You flatter yourself, as usual." Her tones shift, he notices, when she goes from talking to Avery to him. She sounds much more guarded and aggressive when dealing with the female. "I'd just like to advise you to be careful is all. Stranger things have happened in this dorm." Suyin shoots a mocking smirk at Avery, then proceeds through the doors.

His eyes move carefully from the door to Avery's seething form. "What was that?" he asks eventually.

"We just don't get along," she answers simply, already sounding much more perky. "No biggie." He finds it difficult to believe her, but after witnessing the interaction he decides against bringing it up further.

The awkward silence between them is fortunately short, as the doors slam open just ten minutes later. Tohru comes skipping in with the rest of the division behind her, all holding various bags and objects, as well as Mitsuru Kirijo. "Sorry we took so long," Tohru apologizes cheerfully as she sets down the cake on the coffee table. "We got a little side-tracked along the way."

"Aka Akaike wanted to buy everything in the store," Jaye explains good-naturedly, putting the bags down in the kitchen. He grins when she sticks her tongue out at him. "And Alexandra kept getting distracted, so naturally we had to follow…"

Alexandra shrugs. "You didn't have to come with me."

Kaito, who emerges from the kitchen with a number of plates and cutlery, takes a seat on the floor beside the table. "It's fine, really. I think we all just wanted an excuse to stay out longer." He looks up at Seichi, who's eyeing the heavily frosted cake with longing. "We're all glad to see that you're back and alright, Hakurata-kun. We were all really worried."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks," he says gratefully, flashing a grin. "Wow, you guys bought so much stuff."

"Well, we have quite a lot to discuss tonight." They all look to Mitsuru, whose presence demands undivided attention. "Including your roommate, Hakurata, who I'm sure you have many questions about."

Seichi inwardly admits that Akito Sozuki hasn't been on his mind in a while, but his lack of appearance still bothers him. "He's… not back yet?" He glances at the others for the answer, at which they all shake their head no. "But… How can you know?" he asks, turning to the regal-looking woman.

Mitsuru chuckles softly, takes a slice of cake from Kaito, and hands it to Seichi. "You should settle down first. Everything shall be explained."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

Eeep, I hadn't meant for this to be as long as it was, ha ha. Here's the first dungeon and first cameo, though, which is always exciting! :D I'm sorry if your character didn't appear in this chapter; I think putting too many in one chapter may make it a bit difficult to differentiate one from the other, though, and they all deserve to not be mushed together.

**Demons Anarchy** - I think I'll have Seichi's Persona ability the same way it's done in P4: The Animation: he'll have one Persona for each Arcana. Do you have any preferences for the Personae?

Everyone else - thank you for your endless support. It means so much to me! :)

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	5. the extermination committee

_Author's Note__:_

Ahaha, so apparently everyone was super excited to see Mitsuru. I don't dislike her, but she's never been one of my favorites; all the same, I love introducing old characters and getting to work with their personalities. If there's a character in particular you would _really_ love to see (from either P3/P4, I haven't played any others), just let me know!

Lots of thanks to everyone who enjoyed the chapter and reviewed: **Sayuko25**, **M. Rhae**, **Demons Anarchy**, **ViperMT**, **DeathOverLord**, **MewStar**, **Tindra44**, **a-Goto**, **PaintDestiny**. You guys are theee best. :)

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Four  
The Extermination Committee

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 13, 2013, Namikaze, Kirijo Coed Dormitory_

Shadows, in short, are the enemy. They are born from humans, feed off of and carry negative emotions and represent the deepest recesses of the human heart. They spawn out of the darkness of hearts - guilt, regret, despair - everything that people struggle to cover up in their everyday lives. Shadows, as evil and as terrifying they may be, are a part of humanity. Where they originated, how they initially came to be, and how long they have been plaguing the earth are still questions that have yet to be answered.

Seichi is eating his sixth piece of cake when Mitsuru finally finishes her explanation. She goes through everything perfectly, without a hitch, adding all necessary details but still managing to keep it brief. She defines things in terms that make sense to him, answers his silent questions, and does her very best to ensure he comprehends the problem at hand. Despite all this, however, he is absolutely dumbfounded.

"You look like you want to say something," Mitsuru observes after a moment of silence. He blinks, tries to formulate what makes sense and what completely throws him, but can't come up with anything. She chuckles softly, reassuringly. "I understand. It's a lot to take in, especially after what you went through."

"So that thing I ran into in… in the mirror," Seichi begins, finding his voice, "it was a Shadow?"

"There is a case I read about in my studies concerning a small rural town. There were a number of murders and kidnappings and disappearances, accompanied by a strange rumor." Seichi tries his best not to look too confused by her current line of explanation. "This rumor concerned something called the Midnight Channel, where locals appeared. The personalities displayed on the television, however, were unlike those of the actual individuals. I'm not sure of the full details myself, but it's likely these depictions of the victims spurned from their negative emotions - they were individualized Shadows."

He looks around the room, trying to catch the eyes of his dorm mates. None of them look too surprised, as though they've heard this over and over again, but they refuse to meet his gaze. "That was my Shadow?" he asks, voice low. That terrifying _thing_ that attacked him, the monster with the evil eyes and the draining voice - that thing was a part of _him_?

There's a hint of amusement in Mitsuru's voice when she says, "You look disappointed."

Seichi has never thought of himself as perfect in any way, but to know that something so twisted and ugly was born from the depths of his heart… He swallows thickly and puts down his plate.

"I'd be much more concerned were it not for the second part of your tale," she continues, causing him to look up at her inquisitively. "You said you heard a voice in your head while you were in the other world and that, finally, you were able to summon a Persona. Perhaps the most important factor in this explanation, more so than the Shadows, are the Personae.

Strictly speaking, persona is the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by the others. It is also defined as a role or character adopted by an author or an actor. When dealing with Shadows, the Persona we are talking about is very much the same. It's a mask of sorts that helps you face hardship, that really gives you leeway to stand up to your negative emotions. Think of them as opposites - Shadows are malevolent manifestations of one's inter thoughts, while a Persona is a manifestation of the same feelings, but tamed and trained."

Seichi's putting two and two together, and it slowly dawns on his face. "So then, when I summoned my Persona…"

She nods. "Yes. You conquered the emotions plaguing you. You overcome your burdens, and therefore were granted the power of Persona. If anything, you should be proud of yourself, Hakurata." Even if he looks mildly embarrassed by her praise, he can't help but grin. "But now, that leads to the next question. The other world, the place on the other side of the mirror… How did it come to be in the first place?" Seichi waits for her to answer her own question, because Mitsuru seems like the kind of person who just knows everything, but she shakes her head. "That's what I'll need you for, Hakurata."

"Me?" he asks, pointing to himself. "What do you mean?"

Mitsuru turns to Jaye, who nods and walks over with a steel suitcase. "This is very nostalgic," Mitsuru comments, smiling enigmatically. After the brunet places the case on the coffee table, she sits closer to the edge of her seat and undoes the clasps. It swings open, revealing a silver gun and a red arm band; printed on both are three bold uppercase letters (_T.E.C._), along with his name underneath them. "Of course, they're a bit more personalized from three years ago…"

"What is this?"

"The Extermination Committee," Jaye answers, wearing a small grin. "Now that we've got someone who has a Persona, we can actually explore the other side of the mirror. We've been trying to get further in and figure some of the mystery out, but we always get really tired and we get stuck on the first level…" He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "If you've got a Persona, though, we should be able to advance."

_"The mirror world,"_ Seichi thinks, images of portraits and tiled floors running through his mind. "So you guys know about that place then? Have known about it for a while?"

"You got it!" Avery chirps, bobbing her head enthusiastically. "This is a special dorm, run by the Kirijo Corporation. Applicants are scouted for potential, a specialty they're able to conduct because of their technology. Your winding up here wasn't a coincidence at all." He'd wondered how he managed to get into such a nice place as a transfer student, with such a variety of people. "We got pretty lucky! We've been on this case for a while now."

His eyes shift from the tall female to the contents of the suitcase. His gaze zooms in on the gun. "But, if all of you have known about this… How come none of you have got your Persona yet?"

He realizes it's a touchy subject when he sees their crestfallen faces, and instantly he regrets asking. "Well, you saw what it was like in there," Tohru begins, looking uncomfortable even through her smile. "It… It changes based on the person who enters. The Shadow that confronted you, the one you fought and beat… We all have to face ours, but…" She turns away and rubs her neck. In the silence that follows, he realizes that the conversation is already over.

"We're in need of a leader," Mitsuru says, cutting through the silence. "And it seems as though you have what we need. How about it, Hakurata?"

Persona, Shadows, humans - so much has been explained, but so much more is left in the dark. A little bit of him is curious, some afraid, but there's something stronger compelling him, urging him to uncover what's left of the mystery. He looks around, sees the smiling and expectant faces, then lowers his eyes to the red arm band. "Yeah," he says finally, "yeah, I'll do it."

"_Trés bien_!" Mitsuru cheers, her red lips quirked upwards. "From this day forward, then, Seichi Hakurata, you are the leader of The Extermination Committee, or T.E.C. We'll be depending on you."

_CRACK._

_ Thou art I… And I am thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana._

The ringing in his mind disappears just as quickly as it had appeared. The crack is unlike the headache he experienced on the other side of the mirror; instead, he feels a cool, calm feeling spreading from his temples down through the rest of his body. He grins and leans forward to shake Mitsuru's hand, which she returns firmly. "You can count on me."

"Excellent," she says. "Now, onto the matter at hand. As you may know by now, we are missing a resident of our dorm." He quickly recalls the roommate he's had yet to meet. "Cameron informed me that Sozuki went missing before classes even begun, and that they found traces of his crossing to the other side. This is a rather… unusual case, in that we haven't exactly been able to locate him."

He cocks his head to the side, bewildered. "Huh?"

"Walker has known about the mirror world for almost a year now," Kaito answers. "We've all gone in a couple of times, in small groups, so we all know the dangers. It's bizarre that he'd go in and not come back, especially being on his own. We suspect that what's happened to him is the same thing that happened to you. He's been trapped, or perhaps he's allowing himself to be trapped, in his own world in the mirror. We haven't had the power to find him or chase after him."

"Until now," Mitsuru reconvenes. "With Persona, you'll find that your senses have been heightened. With you, we should be able to find Sozuki and safely bring him back. He may also have some new insight to how that world works."

"I'll try my best, but…" He hesitates. "I don't know him. At all, really. How am I supposed to find him if I don't even know what he's like…?"

"We're the Extermination _Committee_," Mari quips tiredly. "Though if you really think you can handle it all on your own, feel free to."

He deadpans, wondering if he'll ever get used to her sarcasm or snide remarks, when Tohru pats his shoulder in a friendly manner. "We're here to help you, Hakurata-kun. You don't have to do it all on your own. We may not have our Personas like you do, but we know how to fight Shadows, and we all know Walker pretty well. We can all get each other through this."

"Is it time for our weekly friend speech already?" While a couple snicker, Steven sends her an exasperated look. "Yeah, alright, I'm done," she says, shrugging.

Mitsuru stands up, checks her black wrist watch. "Unfortunately, I have to be going now; I've got class in the morning and I mustn't be late. I'll have Cameron and the others explain to you the use of the Evoker. I won't be able to return soon due to my school schedule and meetings I have with the company, but I will be expecting a full report on the first excursion into the mirror. Take care."

After she leaves, it's just nine kids, a mostly-eaten cake, and dirty dishes. "I'm going to bed," Alexandra announces, standing up.

"You just don't wanna do the dishes!" Jaye accuses while he tries to balance a stack of dishes in each hand.

She shrugs and continues up the stairs, undeterred. "Yes, but I thought it would be rude to just outright say so. Goodnight." Sighing hopelessly, Jaye just waves her off (though she's almighty out of sight when he does) and demands everyone else to assist in the cleaning.

Tohru quickly stops Seichi, who bent down to pick up some used utensils. "You should get some rest, Hakurata-kun," she says, looking at him sternly. "Thank you for the help, but we can take care of it, really." He wants to protest, to say that he doesn't mind and that he's had plenty of rest in the hospital, but her expression dares to be challenged.

Swallowing thickly, he utters a quiet, "Okay, sure," hands her the knives and forks, and heads up the stairs. Maybe she saw something in his face that he hadn't recognized; as soon as his head hits the pillow, sleep overtakes him.

* * *

The floor rushes underneath him, the walls speed by him, and suddenly he's in the room of mirrors again. He's dreaming. "I've been expecting you." Igor smiles welcomingly, but the girl beside him looks as disinterested as ever. "It appears as though you have awoken to your powers, which means that you will be needing this." A piece of parchment appears in front of Seichi, along with a quill. "This is your contract."

Seichi raises an eyebrow. "Contract?" His eyes skim over the finely printed words. "'I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.'" Underneath the words is a long, thin line for his signature. He hesitates to even grasp the quill as he thinks of the gravity of the words. He thinks of what he learned from Mitsuru tonight, of how he must lead the others into battle against the Shadows, of how he must be in charge of this investigation. That_ is _a lot of responsibility, especially for someone who is only sixteen and who has just transferred…

But then he thinks of Tohru's thankful smile, of Jaye's excited grin, of everyone's relieved expressions. He thinks of his own questions, of which he is still seeking answers to.

With resolve, he grasps the quill and scribbles his name. The parchment rolls up immediately, disappears, and so does the writing utensil in his hand. "Because of this contract, you are now free to enter this room as you please. Ah, and you will need this as well, of course." A deep-colored key appears before him, glittering almost. "This is the Velvet Key. In the future, you may find that you will need my assistance."

"What do you do?" he asks.

"I fuse Personas, though this may interest you more if you know a little more about your… special ability." Seichi blinks, mildly confused, while Igor continues to grin at him like he's holding a well-guarded secret. "You are, as your predecessors were, a Wild Card. You, unlike others, have the ability to summon more than one Persona. It can be compared to the number zero - it's empty, but at the same time holds endless possibilities."

He takes in the information slowly, inwardly a bit proud that he's able to understand and piece it all together. "Right. So, since I can summon more than one… Does that mean I have more than one mask?" To him, that sounded a bit like being two-faced, which didn't sound like a compliment at all. "But, this is a good thing… Right?"

Igor wears an amused expression. "Yes, of course. These masks provided by your Personae do not hide or conceal who you truly are; contrarily, they do the opposite. Your skill is special, as I've said." Seichi would be lying if he said he understood completely, but he manages a nod anyway. Aside from that, Igor does not look as though he'll be explaining much more. "Now, onto the next matter at hand.

Social Links - these are the bonds that you forge with others. They are of the utmost importance, for they will determine the strength of your Persona. My talent is simple, really, for I take those Personae who you hold within, and bring fuse them together to create a stronger one. With your Social Links, you can aid me - and this, in turn, will greatly benefit you."

"Right."

The odd man chuckles. "Well, it grows light in your world, and you must be tired."

"You've got another guest waiting, Sir," Lisa chimes in, speaking up for the first time. Seichi sees that her golden eyes are still focused entirely on the painting of her firetruck red nails.

"Ah, good. Well, Seichi Hakurata," (Seichi shivers when Igor says his name), "the next time I see you, you will come here of your own accord. So long."

And just like that, his seat goes flying backwards through space, above and across the floor, right through the large blue door. He sees a dark silhouette appear in the light, but before he can make out any features, the door closes and he's drifting into darkness.

* * *

_April 14, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin Plaza_

Sundays are weekends for the students of KI, and there is plenty to do in the seaside city. Tohru explained to him early in the morning the various places he could visit, but apologized for being unable to accompany him because of extra soccer practice. Most of his dorm mates, in fact, seemed to be busy, and although he enjoys solitude, he wouldn't mind a little company on his first weekend in Namikaze.

He wanders around Kaihin Plaza, a large outdoor mall, with a cup of warm apple cider in one hand and the other tucked into his jean pocket. It's a little chilly, even for the spring season, so he decides to slip into the nearest store that catches his eye - Revolutions Arcade. Immediately, he knows he's picked the right place.

The atmosphere is very upbeat, with flashing neon lights and bright red carpet. Old video game machines line both walls, ranging from shooting games to fighting games to classics like Pac Man, and spanning across the center of the floor are the larger appliances. He can see dancing games, simulator games, racing games; it's a normal teenage boy's dream.

Seichi walks over to one of the Tekken games near the entrance and fumbles around his jacket's pockets, hoping to find loose change. "Aw man," he grumbles, coming up dry, "c'mon… This drink didn't cost _that_ much…" While he continues to pat himself down in the hope of finding money, he spots a familiar face out of the corner of his eye, which results in his dropping his wallet and all of its contents (_"No coins,"_ he thinks dismally) onto the floor. "Ah, shit…"

A pair of red boots walk into his vision when he's on the ground collecting his things. The amber-haired girl he saw earlier hands him his identification card. "Here," she says softly.

"Oh, thanks," he says gratefully, taking it and tucking it back into its place. After making sure that nothing important is missing, he shoves the wallet into his back pocket and stands up; he's about a foot taller than her. "Hey, you… You live in my dorm," he says, drifting off awkwardly when he notices she's staring pointedly at her own feet. "You're, err…" He realizes right then that's never known her name, period.

"Yumiko Sakura," she answers, her hands buried deeply into the pockets of her bright pink winter coat. "I, um, live on the…" She trails off, so that's impossible for him to hear her.

He's leaning closer so that he can at least try to make out what she's saying, but he's practically hunched over her form at this point. "Uh, right," he says finally, as kindly as he can. He must've said something wrong (a feat considering they were only two words), because she's blushing and stuttering and shaking her head vigorously. She tries to walk past him and dismiss herself, but all she manages to do is knock right into him and spill his cider all over his beloved red biker jacket. "Holy sh-!" He jumps back, nearly pushing her over in the process, and sadly ogles the large stain.

"I'm so sorry," she gasps and, to his horror, tries to wipe away the stain with her white gloves. "I'm so sorry, so sorry… Ayumu always tells me… God, I'm so clumsy… Stupid, stupid." Her apologies quickly morph into self-demeaning mutters, which make Seichi grow more uncomfortable by the minute.

Quickly, he holds her by the wrists and puts some space between. "Hey, it's alright, no problem," he says reassuringly, laughing. "I'll just wash it when I get back to the dorm. No big deal." Yumiko stares up at him blankly, as though she doesn't believe a word he says. Then, her gaze falls to his long fingers, which are wrapped around her tiny wrists. Seichi swears he can actually see her face turn red, shade by shade, as she drops her eyes to the ground once more.

"Stupid pig… 'The hell do you think you're doing… Taking advantage of…"

He can't make out her murmurs, but he feels strangely terrified and lets go of her anyway. "Uh, right." What a strange girl. "I just came into here and get warm… Do you have any change on you? I was hoping to play a round." When she raises her eyes to see what he's talking about, he jabs his thumb in the direction of the video game machine. He thinks he sees a spark in her green eyes, but he's not sure.

"Of course!" she says, with such excitement than Seichi wonders if this is actually her speaking. She's like an entirely different person now. "Just a second… Wow, so you're really into gaming, huh? This is such an old Tekken game, but it's great, I mean, if you like fighting games. I really like RPGs myself, but sometimes a good hack'n'slash is what you need…" She rummages through the small coin purse she fishes out of her pocket, drops a couple into his hand. "I really like those cool visual novels, too, like the mystery ones, but sometimes they can get boring and-" She gasps suddenly. "Oh no, I'm late! Oh no oh no oh no." With her shoulders hunched, she scuttles towards the door, but not before flashing him a surprising (yet very pleasant) smile that makes her look quite pretty.

He watches her retreating figure through the window until it disappears into the nearby bookstore, The Nook. _"Weird,"_ is the first thing he thinks. _"She seems like an interesting girl,"_ is the second.

Still amused by Yumiko and grateful for his luck, he turns to the game and inserts the coins. The change she gave to him lasted him a good five rounds of senseless violence and poor graphics, and by the time he's finished he is incredibly satisfied. Regardless of the darkened areas on his shirt and jacket from the cider, Seichi leaves the arcade with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

He wanders around the Plaza a little longer, occasionally poking his head into the larger establishments (he didn't see Yumiko in the Nook, but it looked nice and quiet and he thought he'd like to spend more time in there some other day.) He finishes his self-tour within an hour and decides to retire for the day, in case the others have returned.

It's around three in the afternoon when he returns to the dorm, but there's only one other person in the lounge. "How're you doin', mate?" Jaye greets, tearing his eyes away from the television screen. "Me and Steven dropped by earlier to see if you wanted to go into town, but you were already gone. Couldn't wait to get exploring, eh?"

Seichi smiles impishly. "Sorry... When I came down after getting ready, nobody was here or they had some place to go."

"I was probably still sleeping... Ah well. Where'd you go?"

"Kaihin Plaza," he answers as he takes a seat on the chair beside Jaye.

"Oh yeah, that's a great place... Lots to do there, isn't there?" Seichi nods in agreement. "I really like the bakery 'cause I've got a bit of a sweet tooth on me. Akaike's always on my case about it, though... Says I've got to eat healthier. D'you reckon she's just immune to the taste of her own food?" Seichi can hardly disagree, as he's tried some of her cooking before. It wasn't bad in the traditional sense, but something much more_ excruciating_ on the taste buds. "I mean, her heart's in the right place, but I don't think she realizes she's part of the three percent that actually enjoys grass shakes."

Jaye seems to know her pretty well, Seiichi thinks. Someone had mentioned before that they lived in the same dorm for several years in a row, which meant that some of these people must have known each other for years. "How long have you been living in this dorm, Senpai?"

His lips twist into a small frown of thought as he counts off his fingers. "A good... five years, maybe?"

Seichi's eyebrows jump upwards in surprise. "I thought this was just a high school."

"Not quite," he replies. "KI is divided into two divisions: underclassmen and upperclassmen. The underclassmen are kids aged from eight to thirteen, and technically the upperclassmen are those aged fourteen to eighteen. For the most part we run on the Japanese school system, with the weekends and holidays and general operations, but the groupings are a bit different. When I decided to come here, this dorm had just started up."

"What? I thought it had always… I dunno, existed, I guess?"

Jaye laughs. "It definitely seems that way, considering how well organized it is. Well, this has always been a home owned by Kirijo, but it wasn't turned into a dorm until the year I came. Me, Steven, and Kaito were the first ones to live here. According to Miss Kirijo, that was the year the Kirijo Corporation started scouting for people with the potential." Seichi notices that the brunet speaks Mitsuru's name with an almost awed reverence, but refrains against saying anything. "The latest recruit, other than you, was… Actually, I think it was Sozuki."

His mismatched eyes blink in surprise. "My roommate?"

Jaye is wearing a contemplative expression. "Yeah, yeah, I think it was… He came in at the beginning of last year. He's a good kid, though, easy to get along with. You've probably heard us talking about it before, but he's deaf. He can read lips really well, but speaking's a little more difficult for him and he prefers sign language. He carries around a notebook, too, for people who don't understand. Geez, it was a rough first month 'cause a lot of us never learned sign language, but it helps when the person's willing to help out."

Jaye speaks so kindly and highly of Walker, Seichi wishes he'd gotten the chance to really meet him himself. "He seems like a happy guy," he says afterwards. "Why would he want to lose himself in the mirror?"

"Hm." He looks at a loss for answers. "He's great, but there's a lot about him we don't know. We didn't pry because we didn't want him to over exert himself. The RA's and Miss Mitsuru have seen his file, but the rest of us are pretty clueless. Everyone has something to hide, though, don't we? Something we want that we're afraid to admit, even to ourselves. I mean, did you expect to see what you saw in there?"

Seichi shakes his head. "No. I mean, I guess it's always been a part of me, but…" _Something we want that we're afraid to admit, even to ourselves._ Yes, that was the best way to explain the feelings that had manifested in the mirror. "But, how could he stay in there for so long?"

Jaye smiles wryly. "He may not be as strong as you. Few people are, I'd suspect, considering how you managed to conquer that thing on your own, your first time seeing it. It's easy to let yourself get lost in that world."

"Yeah, I guess…"

The upperclassman stands up suddenly, stretching and yawning. "Well, I promised Steven I'd meet up with him. Take care of yourself, mate. Our first move into the other side will be decided by you, of course, Leader." He winks. "But we should go in soon, yeah? Sozuki may just need a little help." After another short goodbye, Jaye grabs his gray hoodie off the couch and exits through the door.

Left alone once again, Seichi is left to think of his new position as the leader of T.E.C. and of everything that has happened within the span of one week. It's so much to take in, it's over whelming. He moves from the chair to the couch and lays down, begins counting all the patterns on the ceiling until his eyes grow lazy. When his consciousness ebbs away, he dreams of tiled floors, grandiose pictures, and a loving father.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

I'm hoping to update this two or three more times before I head off to school, but I won't make any solid promises, ha ha. New chapters will be scarce after August 20 because my first semester will be starting, and it takes a while to settle in. I won't give up, though, because you guys are the best and I really do love writing this story.

Thank you all for your endless support!

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	6. special

Author's Note:

The first part of this chapter is a lot more laid-back because I don't want everything to get too plot heavy too quickly. I also really love the idea of Social Links (I started trying to figure out all my friendships and their Arcana after I played Persona haha) and integrating social/school life into fighting black blobs. Character interaction is my favorite to write, so hopefully I've done alright with the characters so far. :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: **Phil the Persona Guy**, **PaintDestiny**, **MewStar0013**, **Demons Anarchy**, **ViperMT**, **Sayuko25**, **a-Goto**. Your support means so much to me! :D

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Five  
Special

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 15, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin International Boarding School_

Getting through the school day while knowing that his roommate is stuck in a dangerous world is awfully difficult, Seichi thinks after his first period ends. He can't remember a word of the literature lecture, which he's sure will bite him in the ass later, but he's just felt worried and nauseous all morning. He keeps thinking of the small time frame he spent in the mirror, how horrifying and just _tiring_ it was, and he then he thinks about Akito who's been in there for over a week. Was he even still - ?

No, it was best to not think about things like that. Everyone else is depending on him, and he can't let them down now (rather, already) just because of negative thoughts. Besides, if there was a doubt of his still being there, surely Mitsuru would have said something.

He tries to focus, but the next couple of periods go by in a blur. By the time lunch rolls around, he can't remember what new math set he was taught or if he even learned anything pertaining to grammar. Fortunately, he thinks, he wasn't so air-headed and distracted as to forget to bring his own lunch today; as sweet as Tohru is, he wouldn't be able to handle another one of her "health lunches."

"You should really eat more greens," she says over his shoulder, causing him to jump. She smiles kindly before placing her bento on his desk, across from him. "I'm gonna go visit Alexandra for a bit, but I'll be back soon." He nods dumbly, feeling a bit guilty, and watches as she skips out of the room. Sighing, Seichi unwraps the bento he bought from the school vendor downstairs and tries to ease his guilt with tasty onigiri.

Seichi barely gets the chance to bite into his lunch before someone pats him roughly on the back, causing him to choke. "Woah, sorry about that, mate!" Jaye apologizes through laughter.

"You should probably be more careful," Kaito mumbles to his fellow upperclassman. The two continue to casually chat besides him while he tries to cough down the rice and_ nori_, completely impervious to (or simply ignoring) his health. "Hmm, are you sure you're alright, Hakurata-san?"

"Yeah," he wheezes, "just fine."

"Well, we didn't want to bother you considering how much you've already got on your plate," Kaito begins hesitantly, then looks at Jaye who grins at him encouragingly. He sighs and rubs the back of his head. "We were thinking it'd help your transgression into the school if you got more involved. We understand that issues at the dorm are important, but we can't completely neglect school because of it."

Seichi stares at him blankly, not understanding. "O… kay…"

Jaye chuckles at his obvious confusion. "Kaito's just being polite. We came to ask if you'd like to join Student Council."

"Oh! Oh… Uh…" It isn't as though he wasn't flattered - not at all. Contrarily, he's quite honored that they'd come up to him and ask, especially since they haven't known him for very long. Seichi's uncertainty stems from the simple fact that he _is_ new here. He might have been dubbed the leader of T.E.C., but he doubts his leadership skills really extend to something as official as Student Council. "I'm not… sure…"

Kaito is ready to acquiesce, but Jaye quickly cuts in: "We're not asking you to be a class representative or anything. We really just need a little extra help since it's the beginning of the school year and we're a bit swamped with work. The Council meets three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - but you don't have to show up to all of them, since you're not an elected member."

Seichi hesitates. _Can_ he handle a club on top of the Extermination Committee? Maybe he's just feeling overwhelmed because he knows that Akito is still on the other side of the mirror. Kaito's right - he can't completely neglect school, especially since he and his father uprooted their lives in Kyoto _for_ this school. "Alright," he says finally, nodding. "Sure, why not?"

Immediately, Jaye grins and Kaito smiles gratefully. "Great! Our meeting's in the conference room on the first floor of this building. Come around today after classes end and we'll get you introduced to the others. You don't have to stay the whole time if you've got other things to do, but it'd just be nice for them to see you."

"Yeah, sure."

The door slides open and when Tohru sees that he's not alone, she makes a face of surprise. "Oh! What're you doing here, Senpai?"

"Just asking Hakurata for a little favor," Jaye answers, his blue-green eyes subconsciously drifting to the bento she's unwrapping. Seichi can tell he's trying not to grimace when he sees the pale pink ginger sitting next to her beloved tofu. "W-well, we should probably get going now," he says hurriedly, as though afraid she'll offer to share her lunch with him. "See you guys later."

She waves goodbye as the brunet more or less drags Kaito out of the classroom. It's only then that Seichi notices that all eyes in the classroom are either on him or the retreating upperclassmen. "They're both very popular," Tohru chirps, reading the question he's wearing on his face. "Jaye is president of the Student Council and he's in the Music Club. He plays intramural sports, too, even if he's not in a club. Kaito-senpai's vice president and he's in the basketball club. The girls especially really like them." Sure enough, when he listens and looks around, he can see a number of females giggling over the names of his senpai.

"Wow," he says, amazed, as he picks up his second onigiri. (He makes sure to look around so that he won't half choke to death on this one.) "I didn't know we were living with such celebrities."

Tohru laughs. "Well, don't get too starstruck. I'm sure you'll be very popular, too."

He flushes at the compliment and shakes his head. "N-no, I doubt it." He didn't have very many, if any at all, friends back at the orphanage, and he was always quiet back at his old school. He had a couple of good friends in middle school, but they moved away shortly after. Honestly, Seichi probably hadn't left anyone behind when he moved to Namikaze, which was both a relief and a bit sad.

"You're very kind, Hakurata-kun, and you have concern for those around you," she says genuinely. "I know it may not seem like much, but that goes very far these days, especially since it's so scarce."

The conversation dies and for the rest of lunch Tohru makes small comments about food and the weather, but Seichi's thoughts are elsewhere. Her words continue to echo in the back of his head even after lunch ends class starts up again. _"You're kind and you have concern for those around you."_ He's not used to receiving compliments, and even if Tohru doesn't seem like the kind of person to say something just to say it, he's not sure how to take it.

His thoughts continue to reel until the final bell rings. The fact that he has retained virtually nothing from the day's lesson doesn't bother him as much as it should; right now, all he's concerned about is going back to the dorm and taking a nap.

"I guess I'll see you after your meeting," Tohru comments as she buckles her book bag.

_Shit_, he curses inwardly. He'd completely forgotten about that. "Oh, yeah… Are you headed back to the dorm already?" he asks, noting the absence of the pink duffel bag that's usually at her side.

"Yup! No practice today." After walking down the stairs together, she points him in the direction of the conference room. "Bye!" He watches her switch out her indoor shoes for her outdoor ones, then offers a wave before going to meet Jaye and Kaito. When he finds the room, he slides open the door only slightly so that he can peer inside. The fact that there are probably over thirty people inside surprises him more than it should.

"Ah, there he is!" He blinks twice before the door is opened completely and he's pulled inside by a strong arm. "This is the bloke I was talking about: Seichi Hakurata. He's the second year transfer," Jaye introduces, "so be good to him, eh? He's a good guy, though a bit quiet… I'm sure he'll warm up to all of us eventually, though." He grins so enthusiastically that Seichi automatically returns it, afraid of disappointing him.

"Your enthusiasm is nice, Jaye, but perhaps a little rough around the neck." The brunet grins sheepishly as he removes his arm from around Seichi's shoulders, giving him the chance to see who spoke. The man is very professional-looking, a teacher for certain, with dark hair and light-colored eyes. He pushes his square-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, adjusts his tie, and clears his throat. "I'm Seitou Himura, a third year mathematics teacher. I'm also the advisor for Student Council."

Seichi bows respectfully. "Thank you for having me."

Himura's lips quirk ever-so-slightly. "So polite."

"Welcome, Hakurata!" The auburn-haired girl sitting at the front greets him excitedly, even standing up to shake his hand. "I'm Sayako Ayame, class representative for 3-F." Seichi thinks his mind may be playing tricks on him, but he thinks Himura has become visibly uncomfortable. "I don't want you to call me 'senpai,' though, alright?" She winks playfully. "Let's be good friends."

_CRACK._

_ Thou art I… And I am thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana._

Again, that cold, refreshing sensation spreads from his temples to his limbs. He feels a connection between himself and the pretty girl with the blue butterfly clip, who continues to smile welcomingly at him. "Yeah," he replies, wearing a grin of his own, "please take care of me." She laughs, then proceeds to introduce him to literally everyone in the room. By the time she's done, fifteen minutes have elapsed and Himura looks slightly put off.

"We _do_ have some important matters to discuss," he announces, raising his voice so that it can be heard over the murmuring. "So please take a seat and pick up an agenda."

"I gotta go," Seichi whispers to Kaito, who's closest to him.

He nods. "Thanks for stopping by, Hakurata-san. We really appreciate it." They both look to Jaye, who's busy handing out small pieces of paper to the other members of the Council. "Take care on your way back."

Seichi makes sure to say goodbye to Sayako, who makes him promise he'll say hello the next time he sees her, before slipping out of the meeting. Even if it did end up being a lot of work, the people certainly seemed nice. What he needs is to branch out and get to know others; he doesn't want to be able to leave Namikaze the way he left Kyoto, without friends or people to care for. It'll be different, he decides. This time, it'll be different.

* * *

Suyin's ears twitch upon hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. She peers over the edge of her book to see who will be joining her on the fourth floor lounge - and frowns when she sees who it is. Reversely, a cheeky grin spreads across the newcomer's face. "Ah, good afternoon, Suyin," he greets, holding up a hand. She chooses to ignore him, shifting her gaze back to the literature in her hands, but the sound of him sitting in the seat beside her tells her she's not off the hook. "What a long day it's been… Can you believe they're trying to kick me off the Committee?" There's a familiar click of a lighter - then her nose feels like it's under attack.

"Do you mind?" she asks testily, dropping the book onto her lap to adjust her glare on him. He grins lazily and taps his cigarette against the ash tray (which had been put there specifically for him, she thinks bitterly) before taking a long drag from it. Hissing under her breath, she picks up her book and stalks over to the window so that she can pull it up. Suyin takes in a deep breath, appreciating the fresh air, then glowers at the still-grinning European. "You'll stink up the place."

"It makes it feel a bit more like home, I think," he chirps after exhaling a long trail of smoke. "I do miss _die Vaterland_ every now and then…"

She deadpans. "You hate it there."

"I do not."

"You complain about it all the time."

He 'tsk's and waves his free hand at her. "I complain about my home life, _liebe_, not _Deutschland_." He sighs exasperatedly and rolls his cerulean eyes at her. "It's like you don't know me at all." She doesn't even try to hide her look of contempt for him as she takes a seat on the couch opposite of him, so that at least the coffee table is between them. He chuckles, takes no offense, and runs his fingers through his dark wavy hair. "Ah, so we had a new member join us today."

She's trying her hardest to give him her 'do I look like I care?' look, but unfortunately Erik has long since become immune to it.

"Cameron and Minamoto suggested him to Himura-sensei, apparently." Her face is hidden by the book, but he can see her fingers twitch; she's interested now. "They said something about him having great leadership qualities and that he'd be able to help out."

"Are you going to suggest another conspiracy theory? It's just Student Council."

"I'm not fond of the term 'conspiracy theory.' But if you're hinting at my beliefs that there is something going on -" ("Conspiracy theories," she whispers under her breath), "- then no, actually. I was simply expressing my curiosity, is all. Usually, and by usually I mean always, someone can only join the Council if they're elected. Of course, the two of them are technically in charge of the operation now that they're president and vice president."

"Seriously," she interrupts, "is there a point to this?"

Erik sighs. "So young, so impatient." She has half the heart to yell that she's only a couple months younger than he is, but holds herself back; arguing with Erik is like running into a wall over and over again. "The one they brought in is the new transfer student, Seichi Hakurata." Not even her usual mask of indifference can hide her surprise. "He's an interesting one, isn't he?"

"Do you know something about him?"

His eyebrows raise. "You care?"

Once again, she has the urge to just punch him in the face or throw her book at his nose, but he's too far away and her book is too precious. "Caring and being interested are two different concepts. Also, you're irritating." He grins, like it's the greatest compliment he's ever received, and for a moment the binding slips from her fingers. "It is a bit curious, though…"

"Do _you_ know something about him?"

Suyin shrugs. "Probably no more than you. But he's only been here a week and he's already paid a trip to the hospital. He's… different."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm not sure," she answers honestly. She thought there was something very peculiar about him when they first met on move-in day, and her curiosity increased with each meeting. Something about him is off, not necessarily in a negative way, but she's not sure if it's positive either. Something about him makes her _want_ to talk to him and get to know him better. All in all, it's not a feeling that makes her feel comfortable at all.

When Calin joins them in the fourth floor lounge, he finds Suyin staring off into space with a book in her lap and Erik calmly smoking his cigarette (as per usual). He politely tips his black fedora to them before sitting on the other end of Erik's couch. "Nice of you to join us, Calin," says Erik as he stubs what's left of his cigarette in the ash tray. "'Can't remember the last time I saw you out of your room."

The green-eyed teenager frowns, regretting his choice to not immediately return to his room. "Only because I don't enjoy bad company," he mumbles.

"Mm? What's that? I couldn't hear - you're awfully quiet, you know," he teases, enjoying himself.

Suyin groans as she finally shuts her book, finally conceding to the fact that her peace of mind disappeared as soon as Erik showed up. "Leave him alone. You're such an ass." The two are so different - Erik and Calin - it's no wonder they don't get along. Granted, few people can claim to actually _like_ Erik Albrecht as a person, but there are those who can tolerate him (she barely classifies herself as one of the latter). Calin has always been shy and reserved, though, with a sense of morals that completely clash with Erik's hedonistic lifestyle. The German enjoys tormenting everyone, but she's noticed that he's particularly fond of harassing his roommate.

"I only kid," he replies, waving her away dismissively. "Everyone's so sensitive these days." Erik stands up and shoves his hands into the pockets of his school slacks. "Well, I'll be off, then. Homework calls." He winks at Suyin before skipping to his room, humming merrily.

"He's full of it. He hasn't done homework in three years." She directs her attention to Calin, who's focused entirely on a small metal machine sitting on his thighs. Part of her wants to attempt to strike up a conversation, but the logical part of her brain convinces her that it'd just be fruitless; Calin can't talk to women to save his life and her small talk skills are hardly something to brag about. With an inward sigh of defeat, she cracks open the neglected book and quickly finds her spot.

Just another typical day.

* * *

The first floor lounge is fairly empty at night, much to Seichi's chagrin; he'd been hoping that everyone would be back by now. "I'm not sure," Tohru answers when he inquires about his dorm mates' whereabouts. "It's the beginning of the year, so people are busy trying to get everything organized, buying last minute supplies, mending uniforms… Mmm, well I know Steven-senpai and Jaye went out with some friends. So did Avery, I'm pretty sure. I don't know where Mari-san or Kyle-senpai went… Why?"

"Well…" His eyes wander around, searching for any negative signs from the others, but they all seem too caught up in their own things. "I was actually hoping to go into the mirror tonight."

She lowers the health magazine she's been reading up until now. "Oh… Um." She glances at Kaito, who's eyes are no longer completely focused on the video game on the lounge's TV screen. "I know Kirijo-san must have really inspired you to get working right away - she's really good at motivating people, I'd bet she'd be a great personal trainer - but we don't have to go _right away_.

"I-I know," he replies, now self-conscious. "It's not just what she said or anything… I'm just worried. He's been in there for a week, you know? Is there any way of knowing from here that he's okay?"

"Wow, you really care a lot about someone you've never even met before." As usual, there's nothing particularly hostile behind Alexandra's words, but Seichi still hasn't adjusted to her frankness yet.

"She just means that your concern is very out reaching, especially for someone you don't know," Tohru translate, seeing the slightly offended frown he's wearing. "It's a compliment." She can tell he isn't too convinced when he sees that the dark-haired girl is just staring into space. "W-well, anyway… There _are_ four of us, and Kaito-senpai's here, so it's not like we'd be going in without any real help…"

Seichi notices that Kaito looks very unsure. "And we don't have to stay in for long," Seichi adds. "Just… to peek in and maybe see if we can find him?"

Kaito isn't completely convinced, the hesitance written clearly across his face, and Seichi's sure he'll say no. Surprisingly, his senpai stands up, hands in his pocket as though he's ready to go. "Jaye and Steven won't be happy about it, but… _You _are the leader, aren't you? If that's what you want to do, then let's do it." Seichi is so floored that he managed to convince the older male (without much of a fight, at that), that he's still gawking when Kaito's halfway up the steps. "We'll get ready and meet outside the 2nd floor bathroom in five minutes. Make sure to be prepared, in case we run into anything."

It's Alexandra's voice that breaks him out of his shock. "Better get ready. The Shadows'll eat'cha."

He nods and retreats to his room, but when he's standing idly in the middle of it, he realizes he has no idea what he's doing. Apparently there exists a routine prior to going into the mirror, which would make sense, since you can only fall through on accident so many times… He scratches the back of his head, confused, and pokes his head out his door, only to find everyone waiting outside the bathroom door. "Hey, so, what exactly are we supposed to…" He blinks when he sees that, in addition to their uniforms, they're also wearing belts with pouches along with holsters for their Evokers, and two of them are holding weapons.

"Ready to go yet?" Tohru asks.

"I, uh…"

"Here, catch." He throws open the door with a "woah!" so he can catch the belt that Alexandra throws at him. "Don't forget your Evoker, unless you've found a new way to summon your Persona. I don't have a weapon, but you might want one…"

"We can take you to the market soon, but we don't have time now," Kaito cuts in. "We have to get going now. I left a note for the others, in case they came back early, but just in case… I don't want to worry anyone."

"Alright, just a second." Seichi rummages around under his bed in order to bring out the suitcase Mitsuru gave to him. He throws it open and grabs the Evoker, but before closing it his eyes linger on the red arm band. He secures it around his left bicep, admires it a bit, then scuttles out into the hallway to meet his teammates. "Alright," he says, a bounce in his step, "I'm ready to go."

Kaito leads the way into the boys' bathroom. It's still as eerie as he remembers it, with pieces of shattered glass strewed across the floor and moonlight dimly streaming through the window. Kaito lightly kicks away the pieces, creating a path of safety towards the mirror. "We're not sure if this is the only place we can go in through," he narrates. "But it's the only one we've ever tried, and it's too risky to go in through a portal we're unfamiliar with. The other side is so strange and bizarre… We really can't afford to take risks." He moves his hand towards the glass, and slowly his fingertips begin to cross to the other side. He looks back at the other when his hand is fully through. "Ready?" They nod. "Alright." He slips through the mirror, just like he's walking through a door, and disappears altogether. Tohru follows, then Alexandra, and finally Seichi.

The world behind the mirror has changed. No longer are there blue walls with endless portraits. The room is large and white, cut up into divisions with open walls so that more rooms exist. Each room is different: one is a bedroom, another is a family room, one is a kitchen, etc. Along the walls are artistic photographic and paintings, as well as small screens playing home videos. There are also large frames with images of a happy, smiling family; all of them are the same.

One of the bedrooms is a master bedroom, decorated with a large King bed. Unlike everything else, though, which is pristine and perfectly white, there is a large red stain in the center of the bed.

"This is Akito-san's," Tohru murmurs, her eyes lingering on the stain.

Honestly, Seichi doesn't know what he's seeing. He doesn't understand what it means or signifies, but he knows it represents his roommate - Akito. There's a story behind these rooms and these walls, and certainly that stain none of them can keep their eyes off of. Something deep within Akito, something he's been trying to hide and contain, has manifested itself in these walls.

"But where is he?"

Sure enough, there's no sign of any other life in here, other than themselves.

"**No one really understands what it's like. Not really.**" Seichi recognizes it, even if the voice isn't his own: this is exactly what happened before that Shadow attacked him. "**They complain about not being to express themselves, about expressing themselves too much… But at least they **_**can**_**.**" The others look nervous, he realizes. Even Alexandra looks apprehensive, like she's afraid something is going to attack her. "**I try to fit in, really I do, but they don't get it. Nobody can ever really understand. It's so much harder than people think. People can try to understand, but I guess… I'll always be alone.**"

Tears well up in Tohru's eyes as she clasps a hand over her mouth. "Is this how he really feels…?"

"This place shows us what we want, especially the things we want that we're not willing to admit to ourselves," Alexandra says solemnly. "It's kind of like therapy."

"Therapy that wants to kill us?" Seichi asks when the walls begin to ooze black.

"**I loved family. They understood. They tried so hard. They always accepted me, always worked to help and understand me… I love them so much.**"

Kaito quickly swipes at a small Shadow with his katana, effectively destroying it. "He isn't here. We should leave, come back when the others are here. Come up with a plan…" The Shadows are swarming in towards them now.

"But is he even still in here?" Seichi asks hastily, kicking one off his leg. "Get the hell out of here, geez, these things spawn like crazy…"

"This place wouldn't exist if he wasn't," Alexandra answers. "It transforms based on the current inhabitant. He's in here, and he's still alive."

Seichi assesses the situation, sees all the Shadows that are baring their fangs and claws, and knows that the four of them will not be enough for tonight. "Alright, let's go back," he says grudgingly. Even if he doesn't want to leave Akito behind, especially since he now knows for sure that he's in here, he has to be mindful of his teammates as well. They were all caught of guard, and that's no way to go into an uphill battle.

Kaito leads the way to the exit, slashing and cutting and doing all he can to create a pathway for the rest of them. Seichi swears he's about to be eaten by a mountain of Shadows when Tohru pulls him through, and he finds himself on the other side - the real world.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

For some reason, this was awfully hard to write, so it's a bit shorter than usual. I'm gonna try to get back into the groove of things, but this was a little forced, so I apologize if it's not all that impressive. I'll try to make it a little more enjoyable next time, for me and you.

Until then, hope to hear from you soon! :)

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	7. the sun

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone who waited for this to come out! I know it's been a while (over a month, yeesh), but I appreciate your patience and constant support. :) Updates won't be very frequent since I'll be focusing on school (and okay, social times and being lazy), but I'll do my very best to keep you pleased!

Special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: **Le Roach**, **Demons Anarchy**, **DeathOverLord**, **M. Rhae**, **ViperMT**, **MewStar0013**, **Sayuko25**, **a-Goto**, and **Tindra44.** Your words of encouragement mean the world to me and I honestly don't know where I'd be without you. :)

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Six  
The Sun

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 16, 2013, Namikaze, Marketplace_

The scolding they received from Jaye and Mari was only slightly numbed by the fact that they knew Akito was alive and (to an extent) well. Jaye called them "reckless and idiotic," Kyle shook his head disapprovingly, and even Avery had nothing funny to say to lighten the mood. It had been terribly embarrassing, being scolded like a child in front of the dorm mates he didn't even know that well, but Seichi couldn't say he regretted what he did. In the end, he went up to bed with his chest feeling a little lighter (and his cheeks bright red).

Immediately after school today, Steven fetches Seichi from homeroom. "We have somewhere important to go," he explains, sounding much more chipper than he had looked last night. In that moment, Seichi breathes a sigh of relief and thinks he just might be off the hook. "I'll be handing you over to Kyle and Mari, though, since I've got stuff to do."

His hope diminishes as quickly as it had blossomed. Though there's nothing wrong with Kyle - Seichi doesn't really know his upperclassman yet, other than the fact that he's quiet - but he's pretty sure Mari isn't a very big fan of him. "Senjeko-senpai…?" he asks wearily.

Steven sees the crease of concern on Seichi's brow, and barks with laughter. "Yeah Mari's a little rough around the edges if you don't know her. She's not too big on meeting new people and being friendly but… Well, she's really great to have around. You just gotta give her some time for you to grow on her, you know?" This doesn't make Seichi feel any better about, what he believes to be, the sour relationship with one of his senpai, but he nods anyway.

Steven takes him to the Marketplace, which is more or less a large, outdoor farmer's market. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold here daily, along with cuts of meat and homemade sweets. Some booths sell trinkets and small souvenirs, and one of the most popular ones makes and sells _okonomiyaki _on the spot. They don't stop for the red apples or mouth-watering _okonomiyaki_, though; Steven walks straight through, until they're standing in front of a dark curtain that blocks their path.

Seichi looks at his senpai questioningly, but Steven is preoccupied himself. The blond looks around, a small frown on his face, and scratches his head. "Where are they…? They're supposed to meet us here…"

"Over here, dummy." The insult bears affection, and Seichi easily identifies the voice as Mari's. Kyle is with the approaching female, who Seichi notices immediately adopts a look of exasperation (probably due to his presence). "It's nice to see you came along," Mari says passively. "I didn't peg you for much of a listener, though I s'ppose that's to be expected, eh, _Leader_?"

Kyle lightly nudges her with his elbow. "Mari…"

She exchanges a look with the taller male, whose expression is imploring. She sighs, flicks her wrist at both him and Steven. "Whatever. Let's get going - Sainome is waiting for us inside." Seichi opens his mouth to ask about Alexandra, but Mari has already pushed aside the curtain and left. He turns his head to Kyle desperately, seeking an answer, but Kyle shrugs helplessly.

"You'll grow on her eventually," Kyle says, but the more he hears it, the less Seichi actually believes it.

They bid goodbye to Steven before following Mari through the curtain. The atmosphere is completely different from the Marketplace on the other side: dark sheets cover the entire area so that red lanterns are hung to provide light, many of the booths are boarded up and locked with chains, and others have less than welcoming owners. Seichi feels a chill run down his spine as he follows Kyle closely. "What is this place?" he asks.

"Well, it doesn't really have a name, to be honest," Kyle replies calmly. "We call it the Black Market, though. I'm sure you can surmise why."

When he accidentally makes eye contact with a one-eyed hag who has a crooked nose, Seichi swallows nervously. "Yeah, I think so."

Ahead of them, Mari stands next to Alexandra, who is holding up a black, Gothic-styled parasol adorned with lace and a sharp metal tip. Seichi can tell that Mari is trying to hide her disdain, and for once the stoic Alexandra appears to be rather excited. "You need a way to defend yourself while you're on the other side," Kyle explains as they approach the females. "Even if you're a capable fighter, bare knuckles can only get you so far, you know?"

"Are you sure you want that?" Mari asks Alexandra. "I mean, in terms of defending yourself, it doesn't really…"

"I like it," Alexandra says firmly, a dreamy smile on her face. "It's lovely."

Mari sighs, knowing that there's no point in arguing with the dark-haired girl. "Well, alright…" She shifts her gaze to Seichi, who's still looking around the Black Market with awe. "Oi, pay attention, Leader." Seichi realizes that she's definitely not using the title with respect, and his face heats up because of it. "This way." She motions for him to follow her into a large store tucked in the corner, and he follows with drooped shoulders.

It's warm inside the store due to the active fire in the pit in the back. The walls are lined with armor and weapons, and sharp blades are put on display on the counters. Seichi notes the large variety of weapons, ranging from maces to swords to more bizarre choices like sharp fans and flutes. Situated near the fire pit is a large, dark-haired figure, who is hunched over his current project.

The man turns when he hears them enter, and Seichi nearly jumps when he sees the ugly scars and burns that mar the man's face; the one that strikes him the most is the long horizontal gash that extends through both his eyes. "Hm? Oh, it's you guys again." Clearly the Extermination Committee is not new to this place, Seichi thinks as the man puts down his tools and wipes his hands on a towel hanging from his belt. "What are you doing here?"

"Just showing the new guy around," Kyle answers kindly. "We know you're the best place around for what we need, so…" When the man scrutinizes him, Kyle just smiles in a way that definitely implies he's hiding a secret.

The man sighs, takes a long drag from the limp cigarette hanging between his lips. "I don't know what the hell you kids are up to, but…" His tired gray eyes shift from Kyle, to Mari, to Alexandra (who holds her new parasol with a content expression), and finally to Seichi. "… but I trust you won't be doing anything stupid with them." Seichi gulps, feeling the responsibility being thrust upon him with these words. "Remember: if you break anything, you buy it."

Kyle gives Seichi a light tap on the shoulder. "Why don't you take a look around? If you see anything you like, let me or Mari know."

Kyle wanders off to a counter that has small knives on display in glass cases, while Mari turns her attention to finely polished _bo_ staffs on the far side of the room. Alexandra stands beside Seichi, her eyes shifting along the wall of armor. "Do you know what you want?" she asks him.

He shrugs, at a loss. "I dunno. I've never, uh, had to do this before."

"Play to your strengths," she says. "What are you good at? It can't be possible that you're good at nothing."

Seichi deadpans; leave it to Alexandra to bring out his greatest insecurities in the most casual way possible. "Yeah, well…" He rubs the back of his neck as he scans over the store, searching for something that catches his eye. "I don't really know how my interests play into what weapon I'm gonna use to fight Shadows."

A small, almost sympathetic smile quirks at her lips. "You'd be surprised."

Before he can ask her what she means, she saunters over to a lovely-looking fan that's decorated with beads and gold thread. Feeling more lost than before, Seichi groans quietly to himself as he drags himself over to a shiny set of _katana_. Even if the blade is sharp and sure to easily destroy Shadows (he remembers how Kaito cut through them easily), Seichi also reminds himself that he's clumsy and that wielding a sword probably isn't safe for him or the others. He shakes his head at the throwing knives (he cringes to think of how Mari would react should he miss the target), dismisses the baseball bats and maces. He feels all but hopeless when he finally stumbles upon something that looks very familiar.

"Shin guards…?" he mumbles as he traces his finger along the hard metal.

"Greaves," the man says gruffly from behind. "It's a piece of armor that people use to protect their legs. They were popular in ancient times, on the battlefield. These ones are made out of pure steel - you won't find a better product out there."

So these were used as armor, then. But, if he were to kick someone or something hard enough with these on… "Thanks," he says genuinely, to which the man simply grunts and walks away. He calls over Kyle and shows him what he's found. "These," he says with finality. "I want these."

Kyle eyes them a bit wearily, in the same manner that Mari had scrutinized Alexandra's weapon of choice, but nods. "Alright. Miss Kirijo gives us a bit of money each month, just to keep up to date with our armor and weapons, so just bring it up to Mister Inoue and I'll give him the money." Seichi bobs his head gratefully, mostly because he's poor as dirt and he'd never ask his father to pay for a pair of greaves of all things, and brings his find to the front desk.

"Use 'em well, kid," Inoue says after Kyle hands him the money. "And don't do anything stupid."

* * *

When they gather in front of the second floor bathroom, Seichi finally begins to realize how silly they all look. "I feel like this is a really lame meeting place," he mutters, drawing amusement from Avery and a sour look from Mari. "Sorry," he mumbles, shrinking back under her poisonous stare.

"You gotta stand up to her at some point, mate," Steven mutters, jabbing him lightly with his elbow. "What kinda leader backs down like that?"

"One who's afraid of losing of being beaten to death," Seichi replies.

"Alright, alright, keep your ears sharp," Jaye says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. The way everyone's eyes turns to the British teen makes Seichi wonder who's really the leader of T.E.C. "Thanks to the journey conducted by Hakurata and company," (Tohru shrinks back a bit, Seichi notices, while Alexandra just dozes off and Kaito just shrugs), "we now know that Sozuki is still on the other side of the mirror. Fortunately, he's still alive. Unfortunately, we're still not completely sure how the other side has affected him just yet, and to what extent."

"The Shadows we confronted were volatile and reacted quickly to our intrusion," Kaito explains. "It was very much the same way that they fell upon us when we first went into the mirror…"

Jaye looks worried, Seichi notices. "What do you mean?" Seichi asks.

"As we've told you before, we went into the mirror a number of times before you joined us," he answers. "Except all our trips were short and we were forced to retreat early. Shadows attacked us from everywhere, as though they were chasing us out. You didn't seem to have that problem, though…" He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps… It was because you faced your Shadow."

"So, you all…" He doesn't have to finish the question; by the looks on their faces, he can already tell.

"We can't just send him in by himself," Mari speaks up, breaking the silence. "That'd just be stupid."

"He's the only one who's confronted and bested his Shadow, though," says Tohru, disheartened. "If we all went in with him, we'd all just be bogged down by Shadows… We might not even be able to reach Akito-san."

They all look incredibly displeased with themselves - maybe even a little embarrassed. This, in turn, just embarrasses Seichi, because they're making out everything he did to be something bigger than it actually was. "I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you guys came with me, though," he intervenes seriously. "I don't think I could handle going in there all by myself. Besides, you guys know him better than I do; I don't know how I'd be able to reach out to him."

"But you'd be able to help him," Avery replies, with a smile. "There's something about you, Seichi, that makes people want to open up."

He blushes pink because he thinks that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about him. "T-that's not true," he mumbles, lowering his gaze. "Look, either way," he begins, more strongly, as he sees the snickers and the way they're quietly laughing now, "I don't wanna go in there by myself. I-I mean, I don't wanna sound like a coward or anything - I just… I'd feel better if you were with me. You guys know so much more about me about this other world."

"But you can handle it better," Avery insists.

"That's not the point!"

"That's entirely the point," Mari cuts in sharply. "You know how to fight those things - and no matter how many times deny it, this is the simple truth. We can fight, but it's completely ineffective. We know what Shadows are, but that doesn't mean anything if we can't completely destroy them. You are the only one… Well, _almost_, the only one who has a Persona, which gives you the advantage."

Seichi's brow furrows. "Almost…?"

All eyes gradually shift to Kyle, who shuffles the weight on his legs awkwardly. "Guilty," he admits with a small chuckle.

"You have a Persona?"

"Well, yes," Kyle answers, without much enthusiasm or excitement. "I do have one, however…" Seichi's stomach drops at the "however." "Well, he's not exactly battle-oriented. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I wouldn't be much help to you on the other side of the mirror. My Persona has mostly support skills, so I'm really just good for letting people know when and where Shadows will attack, along with their individual weaknesses and strengths. I'd probably be a bit more help if the others had their Personae…"

"That's great, though," Seichi protests, "that you do have your Persona! It'd help to know where the Shadows were hiding!"

Tohru bites down on her lower lip as she catches Jaye's eyes. "I still don't think it would be wise for all of us to go in with him, especially since we won't be much help," she says quietly. "When Alexandra, Kaito-senpai, and I went in with him, I'm sure the Shadows gathered more quickly and frantically because _we_ were there."

"They can probably sense that we don't have our Personae," Jaye mumbles, a slight hint of agreement in his voice. "Which means that they know we're weaker… It would definitely be dangerous to send in a party with Hakurata… Perhaps…" His blue-green eyes narrow contemplatively as they scan over Seichi, then Kyle. "Perhaps it would be best if we just sent in the two of you to find Sozuki."

Mari gapes at him disbelievingly. "Seriously!? Jaye, what the hell -"

"There's really nothing else can do," he replies calmly. "Akaike is right; if we send in a larger party, they'll just be swamped with Shadows and we'll get nothing done. Even if it's less than I feel comfortable with - it's safer to just send in the two of them. They've both got their Personae, which means the Shadows won't flock to them immediately. C'mon, Mari, just trust me." She looks like she wants to argue with him, but evidently she has respect for him because she simply grunts and folds her arms across her chest. He turns to Seichi and Kyle. "Do you think you can do it? Just the two of you?"

Seichi and Kyle exchange glances, and the former can't help but smile because Kyle nods affirmatively. "Yes," Kyle says. "I think we'll be just fine. If anything gets too rough, we'll come back immediately."

Jaye tries to look as confident as possible when he says, "Alright, we trust you."

* * *

_April 16, 2013, Inside the Mirror, ?_

Seichi holds his breath as he steps through the mirror, to the other side. Just before he and Kyle leave, he can hear Tohru meekly bidding him, "Good luck."

They're in the same room as before, surrounded by the same pristine white walls and beautiful photographs and home videos. Seichi's eyes keep darting to the framed images of the smiling family; there's something in his gut telling him that he's seen it before.

A soft, hesitant voice sounds above them. "**Part of me is afraid, I guess.**" Seichi notices that Kyle doesn't look shocked or disturbed; he is calm and level-headed, like he's done this before. "**Afraid of letting other people in. Afraid of letting people see who I really am. I don't need their help - and definitely not their sympathy. I'm sick of being regarded as the deaf kid who can't talk. It's not like I **_**want**_** this.**"

There's a groan nearby, in the room with the large bed and the red stain. Seichi and Kyle rush over and find a boy with shaggy, dirty blond hair on the ground, gripping his head as though in pain. He violently shakes his head from side to side as he groans.

Seichi looks to his senpai for help, but Kyle looks just as lost as him. Seichi takes a step forward, to place a hand on Akito - just to make sure that he's _there_ - but Kyle holds him back with a firm hand on Seichi's shoulder. When he shakes his head, Seichi looks down at Akito and sees that his shoulders are shivering violently.

"**It's not I like **_**chose**_** to be alone. It's not like I **_**wanted**_** to be deaf - no one actually wishes that upon themselves. But it didn't matter, not back then, because I had them. I had my family, and we were happy. They did everything they could so that I would be happy. They went out of their way to make sure that I felt included; they did everything they could to understand and get to know me better. Being deaf wasn't a handicap with them. It didn't matter if I couldn't speak well or if I couldn't hear them, because they just **_**understood.**_

** I want to go back.**"

The pictures are darkening and the movies are being overridden by static. As Seichi looks around, he also notices that the walls are no longer white; he thinks they might be taking on a red tinge.

"**I want my family back. Give them back to me. **_**Give them back!**__"_

Akito screams and collapses, and Kyle rushes to his side to give him aid. "What's going on?" Seichi asks, though he already knows the answer. He's dealt with this before, and he fears what's to come next.

His heterochromatic eyes shift to the red stain on the bed when he sees it morph out of the corner of his vision. The stain begins to bubble before a thick, oozing substance grows out of it. It creates itself upwards, shifting and blistering and frothing, until it becomes the silhouette of a familiar image: two children holding hands joyfully, and above them, a blazing sun. The red silhouette blackens, until Seichi finds himself peering into two pairs of dangerous red eyes - but only for a moment. Two red masks fall over the faces of the children; printed into both of them, across the forehead, is 'XIX'.

"**I am the Sun,**" they say, their voices a sick mixture of Akito's and something much darker. "**The happiness, joy, energy, optimism, and accomplishment. I am your dreams and innermost desires. I am your fears and withholdings. I am you.**" The children extend their free hands, so that they are outstretched to the side. Seichi watches, in both awe and fear, as small spits of fire begin to spit from their palms, until an archway of fire is formed over their heads. He looks to Akito, who's still quivering on the ground, then to Kyle, who has backed away from the Shadow.

"Senpai," Seichi gasps, limbs frozen at his side. "Senpai, what do we do?"

"He has to accept his Shadow," Kyle replies, almost breathlessly. Akito doesn't look like he's getting up anytime soon, though, and the Shadow is growing restless. "I don't know if there's anything we can do."

"We have to try!" He doesn't think about it (and when he does later, he'll probably remember just being very stupid) as he runs in front of Akito to shield him from the Shadow. He grinds his teeth together and grunts when the flames lick at the arms crossed over his face and singe the sleeves of his uniform jacket. "I'll fight you on my own if I have to," he growls. The Shadow cackles and screams all at once in reply. "Leave him alone!"

"That's not quite how that works, Seichi," Kyle murmurs, taking a step back as he winces at the second fire attack unleashed by the Shadow. "It doesn't matter how many times we beat it back or try to subdue it; it won't ever fully go away until Akito accepts it as part of himself."

Seichi glances at his roommate over his shoulder, sees that he's still no where near being in good enough shape to fight anyone. "Are you saying we should go back and wait until he's ready to fight, then?"

"You need to calm down," Kyle instructs evenly. Seichi flushes, feeling like a child being scolded, though Kyle says it as kindly as he can. "We can't leave, now that he's here and we can see him. We can fight off the Shadow so that it doesn't devour-" ("Devour!?" Seichi gasps), "- him, but he has to acknowledge it. These Shadows are different from the average ones that we can fight and destroy easily. These ones come directly from the human heart."

"**Stop talking about me like I can't hear you!**" the Shadow screams, aiming a powerful fire spell at Kyle. The blond quickly rolls to the side to avoid the attack, though it still manages to catch the hem of his pants; he manages to quickly pat it out. "**They all think they're so sneaky, talking behind my back and smiling. I know they're talking about me - I know what you're all saying! I'm deaf, not stupid!**"

Akito is no longer cowering on the ground. His head is raised and his arms hang limp, but his hazel eyes are bright and attentive. He looks right up at the Shadow, like he recognizes it as something - some_one_ - familiar, and his lower lip quivers. The Shadow stops its attack on Seichi and Kyle to turn its attention completely to Akito, but it doesn't look as though it's going to attack him.

Akito shakes his head, but smiles, as he makes simple motions with his hands. Seichi looks to Kyle, unable to understand, but the upperclassmen looks as though he's struggling to interpret the signs as well. "He's talking about his family, I believe," Kyle begins, slowly, unsurely. "And about his deafness. I'm… I'm honestly not quite sure what else he's saying, but…" They both look at Akito, really look at him, and see that there's no sign of a struggle on his face any longer.

With a sudden rush of resolve, Akito stumbles to his feet; when Seichi tries to help him, Akito holds out a hand to stop him. Seichi knows, then, that this is Akito's battle, and he must face his own Shadow by himself. He feels a soft whisper brush through his hair and rustle his clothes, then feels a strong tug from Akito. The blond closes his eyes and breathes, mouths a word that Seichi can plainly read on his lips: _Persona_.

The Shadow becomes infuriated and shrieks so terribly that Seichi and Kyle are forced to their knees as they cover their ears. The archway of fire stemming from its hands burns and flickers so that they can feel the heat despite the space between them. Akito is cool and composed, though, impervious to the fire and the threat of its flames. When he opens his eyes, he grins, and for the first time speaks: "Persona!"

Shockwaves pulse through the room, throwing back Seichi and Kyle and even the Shadow. Before Akito materializes a large, imposing being dressed in powerful metal armor from head to toe. From the dark recesses in his helmet, two yellow eyes stare back, and in both hands the being wields large swords. "**I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I hath emerged. I am the High One, Hyperion. Join me, to elevate yourself in wisdom, watchfulness, and light.**"

As if sensing its impending doom, the Shadow attacks the newly awakened Persona: another blast of fire is unleashed, but it's much stronger than anything before. Hyperion raises its swords in an 'x', so that it blocks the fire and forces it around him. With the attack finished, Hyperion strikes next and dashes towards the Shadow. His speed is quick, quicker than anything Seichi has ever seen, and his powerful blow knocks the Shadow back. It screeches in pain as its legs begin to collapse underneath it, but it still has the energy to propel more fire attacks at Hyperion.

The armor keeps him well protected, but the fire spells still permeate through and heat up the metal. With a cry, Hyperion keeps on fighting, slashing at the flames and trying to divert them. Suddenly, with incredible strength, he thrusts both his swords into the hearts of the Shadow children.

The Shadow stops. It cries out weakly before falling in defeat, and the students simply watch in awe as it begins disintegrating through the ground, until only its masks are left.

Hyperion turns to face Akito, who has fallen to one knee from exhaustion. Akito still manages a smile and a nod, then Hyperion disappears in a shower of light.

Seichi and Kyle quickly rush to Akito's side when he crumples to the ground. "Hey, hey, are you alright?" Seichi asks as he holds up Akito's head. "Geez, that was incredible! Your Persona was great and, wow… He was so powerful! That came from within you, you know!"

"Your enthusiasm is wonderful, Seichi, but I'm sure Akito is tired," Kyle chuckles. "You'll be alright," he says to the blond. "We'll get you out of here in no time."

He's tired, but Akito still smiles in greeting. "Thank you," he says, as he raises his hand to his mouth then moves it away. Afterwards, he closes his eyes, a peaceful expression on his face.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

Working with a character like Akito is definitely difficult, but I enjoy it all the same; it forces me to do research (especially with sign language, which is fun!) and write characters I'm not used to dealing with.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully I'll have the next one up soon! :) Thank you for your reviews, again - they really are the greatest thing a writer can receive!

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	8. the defense

Author's Note:

I know I always apologize when it take a while for me to get out chapters, but I always do feel really bad when I make you guys wait too long, ha ha. I have this really bad habit of spewing out a ton of stories at once, which makes it difficult to update them all regularly. But I'm tryyyyying! :D

I'm a big fan of just writing out characters and seeing who has the most chemistry, but if there's a character you particularly like (or characters) and would possibly like to see paired with yours, just let me know! It's honestly a bit too early for any real romance, but, just for something to keep in mind for myself. :)

Finally, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: **Sayuko25**, **MewStar0013**, **Demons Anarchy**, **kingtransformo**, **ViperMT**, **Tindra44**, **DeathOverLord**, **a-Goto**.

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Seven  
The Defense

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 19, 2013, Namikaze, Kirijo Coed Dormitory: Division 2_

When Erik Albrecht walks into the fourth floor lounge after school, he's surprised to see that he isn't alone. "I'm a little offended," he says with a crooked simper, "that I wasn't invited to the party. Where's the sense of community?" Though the others ignore him outright (something he longer takes offense to), Anagi snorts loudly at his introduction. "Oh, yes, good afternoon to you as well, Yukatanabe-san," (he ducks skillfully as she chucks a magazine at him), "and what a refined young lady you are."

"Don't be a condescending ass," she snaps as he falls onto the couch beside her.

He holds a hand over his heart, as though he's been wounded terribly. "I wasn't under the impression I was being one."

"Shut up."

Ayumu clears her throat, bringing the attention of the room to her. "Well, thanks for being here today, guys!" she chirps. "If you guys got the note I sent out before, you should know that Doctor Inoue will be visiting us later this weekend." They all mumble in quiet acknowledgment, save for Erik, who pulls out a crumbled pink post-it out of his pocket with a befuddled expression. Ayumu sighs heavily, but figures there's no point in calling out her fellow RA. "Anyway, I just wanted to remind you guys that the meeting's Sunday night, and that you _really_ shouldn't skip out, okay? I know you're busy and you've got other things to worry about, but apparently this one's really important."

"What makes this one so much more important than the other ones?" Suyin asks. "You always guilt us into trying to show up to these things, but it's just him blabbering on about the same thing…" After realizing her aggressive tone of voice, she shrinks slightly and mutters a barely audible, "Sorry."

The dark-haired girl tries her best to not look too offended. "Er, well, he didn't really give me any details… He just really stressed its importance."

"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Yumiko mutters beside Calin, her eyes focused entirely on her video game. "I think he just comes here to hear himself talk, 'cause none of his doctor friends wanna listen to him…"

It certainly sounds plausible, Ayumu thinks as she envisions the bespectacled, light-haired man. The man is very eccentric, outspoken, and extroverted, but while he's friendly, he's the type of individual who won't stop speaking unless he's blatantly told to shut up. "N-nevertheless, I expect all of you to be there," she states firmly, growing impatient with her division's nonchalance. "Some crucial things have happened as of late, and we need to discuss them, anyway. Doctor Inoue's probably coming here to talk about them in depth, so we can better understand what's happening. I'm being serious — don't skip out on this!"

Sensing her growing irritation and everyone else's lack of concern, Calin decides to play mediator. "What do you mean by 'crucial things'?" he asks, partly genuinely curious, partly afraid of Ayumu's possible outrage. "Are you talking about what's been going on in the lower division?"

The quiet murmur across the room drops as soon as he mentions the other students who live in the dorm. Ayumu, pleased that the others are finally listening with their full attention, nods her head in affirmation. "That's right. I honestly don't really know the details; I'm not around them enough to know, and Doctor Inoue wouldn't tell me what he did know. I've heard, and I'm sure you guys have heard, about the new transfer student and his visit to the hospital. It was pretty high-profile, which isn't surprising since he's new."

Erik nudges Anagi with his elbow. "Hey, Yukatanabe-san — you know him, don't you?" he asks teasingly. Growling, she nudges him back, though in the ribs. "Ow! Goodness, it was just a question…"

Ayumu's eyes shift from Erik to Anagi questioningly, but neither look like they're going to divulge any more information. "Right, well, anyway… Aside from him, there's also been another incident concerning the other division."

"Walker, right?" Suyin asks. "I heard Vallen and Paulson talking about it during homeroom the other day. He's still in the hospital, I believe."

Yumiko's eyes widen in surprise. "I knew he'd been missing, but now he's in the hospital?"

"Apparently. I don't know what their cover story is, but they also stopped talking the moment they realized they were shouting their findings to the class." She shrugs indifferently as she begins casually flipping through her book. "They all do a fairly good job of covering random absences of their dorm mates, though. Remember when Paulson went missing in the middle of last year? I thought the school was going to conduct an investigation of the dorm."

"They were going to," Erik affirms. "Kirijo stepped in, though. I'm sure she paid them enough to cover their curiosity."

Ayumu sighs as she runs her fingers through her ponytail. "Yes, well, we all know the power of Kirijo…" After clearing her throat and adjusting the poker hat on her head, she waves her hand at them dismissively. "Alright, that's all we needed to talk about. You all can go now." In the blink of an eye, everyone scurries off in different directions, back to their own rooms. With slightly slumped shoulders, Ayumu falls back onto the couch and represses a groan.

Erik stops behind her and pats her sympathetically on the shoulder. "Good work, Captain."

She glowers at him. "Shut up."

He shrugs helplessly, though he also smirks in amusement. "Touchy."

Ayumu closes her eyes as she listens to his footsteps, until they disappear behind a closing door. _"What a pain,"_ she thinks disdainfully, rubbing her temples. She's convinced herself that she actually loves them dearly, but sometimes she wishes her division wasn't so dysfunctional. One would rather play with her video games than be with other people, one is so bad with people it's almost uncomfortable trying to talk to her, one can't speak to women to save his life, one has the temperament of a savage rodent, and one's just an ass. She hardly likes to think of herself as _normal_, but around these people…

She hopes she'll get a break soon.

* * *

The night air is brisk but refreshing, reminiscent of spring. A ghost of a smile flits across Suyin's lips as she crouches low to the ground, trying to find the perfect angle. She holds her breath as she peers through the viewfinder, runs her finger over the shutter button, and—

"Oh, hey there!"

It takes all she has not to scream in frustration after she jumps and ruins the shot completely. Mournfully, she looks down at the preview of her picture on her camera, which is blurred and distorted despite all her efforts. "What!?" she snaps at the invader, who looks like he wants to bolt down the stairs for his safety. After deleting the unsatisfactory image of the moon, she briskly turns to face Seichi, who's grinning sheepishly. Her guard drops, but only slightly. "What are you doing up here?"

"I haven't been up here yet, so I thought I'd give it a try," he answers. His mismatched eyes wander around the roof curiously, taking in its simplicity and lack of decoration. As he wanders to the edge, though, she can tell that he's impressed. "The view's incredible! I can see why you'd be up here all the time."

"I'm not up here all the time," she replies defensively. He turns to her, slightly bewildered, and she averts her eyes with embarrassment. He chuckles, which she mistakes as mockery, and hisses a, "I'm leaving," as she stalks past him.

"W-wait!" he calls out to her, rushing to grasp her by the wrist. Suyin shifts to rebuke him and demand that he release her, but he grins apologetically and quickly lets go of his own accord. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything! I just wanted to initiate some small talk, you know, get to know the other residents of the dorm a little better." She scrutinizes him in a way that makes him feel incredibly exposed and very uncomfortable. "Er, so…" His gaze travels down to the fancy-looking camera she has hanging around her neck. "You're into photography? That's cool. I mean, I've never really been good at it, but…"

"Yes, I do enjoy it," she answers, with blatant caution. "it's… more of a hobby, I guess."

Seichi looks pleased with her answer, as short as it may be. "That's awesome. I don't really have any hobbies… I mean, I like to try to cook, but my dad didn't let me use the kitchen that much, so I'm not that great at it…" He rubs the back of his neck impishly. "So, you're Suyin Wan, right?" he asks, though both know that he already knows the answer. She nods, doesn't say anything. "Er," Seichi begins, unsure of how else to proceed, "and… you're from China, right?"

"I'd think that was obvious," she replies, ears turning pink as they catch her own accent.

"I-I'm not trying to say it's bad or anything!" Seichi throws in quickly, afraid that she'll try to leave again. "I mean, I think it's pretty cool that you're from another country, and you've managed to assimilate into this new place… It's really cool." Suyin isn't entirely convinced that he's trying to talk to her out of genuine curiosity and the desire to get to know her better, but her body relaxes and he can tell she isn't as tense. "I know things between our divisions aren't that great. I still don't know why and I'm kinda confused, but they won't tell me what's going on, and I figure there's nothing wrong with getting to know you guys, right?"

"Err…"

"Sorry. Was that too much?"

"A bit," she says, stifling a snicker. "But if they won't tell you, I suppose I'm not in the right to explain it to you either. Besides, now that you're living here, you'll figure it out on your own eventually. It's not exactly a secret."

"I dunno," he mumbles. "There seems be a lot of secrets here…"

She doesn't hear the last half of his sentence. "What?"

Seichi looks up suddenly with shock, as though he's caught himself committing a terrible blunder. "Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself!" Though his laugh is completely unconvincing, Suyin decides not to press it. "Oh, I haven't really introduced myself yet. I'm Seichi Hakurata." He extends his hands to her, which she observes with a mild look of distrust and disgust. "C'mon," he urges, "I'm not diseased or anything."

He experiences a short moment of victory when he sees the corner of her lips twitch upwards. "Alright," she says, more to herself than to him, as she loosely grasps his hand.

Seichi jumps slightly as a familiar tingle courses through his fingertips, through his limbs, down to his toes.

_Thou art I… And I am thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when greeting Personas of the Moon Arcana._

"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Suyin rolls her eyes as she retracts her hand and folds her arms across her chest. "Maybe." He grins out of amusement, and suddenly she realizes what people mean when they say that laughter is contagious. "Well, I don't think I'll be getting much more done out here. Don't stay out here for too much longer," she instructs as she moves towards the door. "They lock the door after midnight, and I heard it gets pretty cold up here at night." Seichi thinks he spots a full smile before she slips through the door and closes it behind her.

* * *

_April 20, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin Plaza_

The Nook is Anagi Yukatanabe's favorite store in the Plaza, and the place where she spends most of her free time. Though she's not too big on reading, it has a small niche in the back that provides her with both good coffee and an atmosphere for writing. Today she sits in her favorite blue couch in the corner, with her machiatto on the stand beside her and her laptop balancing on her knees. She hums cheerfully to herself, a biscotti hanging from her mouth, as she types away on her latest story. She doesn't ever feel this sense of comfort and relaxation when she's back at the dorm; though her division is quiet, it's usually fairly tense and awkward. Here, she feels more at home.

In the peace of mind that she lapses into, she doesn't notice Yumiko scurrying around collecting empty coffee cups and trash. "Oh!" the smaller girl squeaks, drawing Anagi out of her euphoria. "I didn't see you, Anagi."

"Oh, hey, Yumiko," Anagi replies, pulling her ear phones out. "Working again today?"

She nods. "Yup." Whereas Anagi spends most of her free time writing and trying to get away from the dorm, Yumiko spends her free time working and trying to make extra money. She works part-time jobs at nearly all the stores in the Plaza, and some other small ones around the city. She doesn't tell them why, but her dorm mates know that the money goes to the fund for her video games. "After this, I have a shift at Revolutions."

Anagi wheezes at the mere thought of working so many hours in one day. "Geez, good for you, Yuu. Take a breather every now and then, though, why don't you?"

Yumiko shrugs as she tosses some trash into the nearby bin. "The next Megami Tensei game is coming out next month, but on a new platform. I only have enough for the game now, but that won't do me much good on my old consoles…" The amber-haired girl sighs heavily, like it's the most bothersome thing she's ever had to deal with, and runs her fingers through the shoulder-length tresses. "My father found out that I was spending all my money on games again," she mumbles, more to herself than to Anagi, "and he got really angry… He says I should save for university, but I don't even know if I wanna go…"

Before Anagi can try to comfort her dorm mate (or try to, because, honestly, she doesn't know what to say), a girl with short, straw-colored hair underneath a hat runs straight into Yumiko. Yumiko shrieks in surprise as she's literally knocked over, having lost her balanced and stumbled over a chair. "Oops," the girl says with no remorse, as she looks down at Yumiko. There's a vicious glint in her eye. "'Didn't mean to hit you so hard. Maybe you shouldn't stand in the middle of the way."

"That was totally uncalled for!" Anagi hisses as she puts down her laptop to help up Yumiko. "Are you alright, Yumiko?"

"F-fine," Yumiko stutters. She raises her eyes to the perpetrator, who continues to smirk when Yumiko gets back to her feet. "I-I'm sure you didn't mean to actually run into me…"

"That's right," she replies smugly. "An accident. So cool your jets, Superhero; no need to get over excited." Anagi growls threateningly at the girl, whose identity is still a complete mystery to her, but Yumiko holds her back. "Ta ta, ladies." She wriggles her fingers at them in farewell and mockery, then departs. When she spots the amused laugh on the girl's lips, it takes all that Anagi has to not race after her and pounce.

"It's fine, Anagi, really," Yumiko assures, tugging on her arm. "She's just like that."

"You _know_ her?" Anagi gawks.

"Y-yes," she admits, wearily rubbing her scalp. "We went to the same school when we were younger, as well… It's kind of just coincidence that we ended up coming to KI."

"Who is this girl? I'm gonna kick her ass the next time I see her."

Yumiko actually laughs, though the look on Anagi's face makes her wonder if she's really being serious. "Her name is Unmei Himura; she's actually a year older than us. You probably shouldn't try to do anything to her, though… Adults really like her. She's good at getting people she needs to like her." Yumiko bends down to pick up something Unmei had dropped earlier — her ID card. "I suppose I should give this back to her…"

Anagi snatches it out of her hand before she can pocket it. "I'll give it back to her," she says.

Yumiko gives her a well-deserved skeptical look. "Really, Anagi, I don't m—"

"No, I'll give it to her," Anagi reiterates, hiding the ID in her white winter jacket. "Well, I'm gonna head back. My concentration's gone to shit." She gathers up her belongings, puts them into her messenger bag, and finishes off her machiatto before nodding to Yumiko. "I'll see you later tonight, then?"

"O-oh, alright. See you." Yumiko waves, then sighs when Anagi disappears through the doors. "I'm probably gonna regret that," she murmurs to herself as she continues cleaning up around the resting area. _"She deserves it, though,"_ she thinks as she recalls her less than pleasant encounter with Unmei. _"I hope she gets paper cuts all over her hands and someone spills lemon juice on them."_ She doesn't realize the maniacal grin that sneaks onto her face, but it disappears when her co-worker calls her over from the science fiction section. "O-oh, yes, I'm sorry! I'll be there in just a moment!" Humming to herself, she scurries off.

* * *

The air is getting warmer during the days, suggesting that summer may not be too far off. Calin slips out of his white winter coat, draping it over the back of his chair before he takes a seat in it. He quickly orders a coffee — black, with sugar but no cream — and resumes his conversation with the phone tucked between his shoulder and ear. "Yes, Mother, everything's fine," he says quietly, stifling a sigh. "Yes, school has been fine… We've only been in a week or so, so not much can really go wrong." He briefly thinks about the Kirijo Coed Dorm and its various inhabitants, but decides against mentioning anything about that motley crew. "Yes, yes, classes are fine…"

His mother still frets over him like a child, though she always denies it when he calls her out on it. He doesn't resent her for it, though; he knows she's only worried about her oldest son, and that she too is recovering from the loss. It's been hard on all of them, the disappearance of his father, even if it's already been nearly seven years since it happened. If anything, she has the right to worry, especially since he's so far away from the family he has left.

_"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself,"_ she says, and he can hear her smiling over the phone. _ "I'm very proud of you, Calin."_

Even from his mother, taking compliments is hard for him. "A-ah. Thank you."

She laughs softly, but there's nothing mocking in it, not like he's used to hearing. _"Valerie and I miss you so much, Calin, but… I still think that your being out there is a good thing." _He doesn't say anything because he has yet to agree. _"You're so smart and so talented, but you can't be alone forever. You need people who appreciate you and people who need you in return. Humans were meant to be with other humans."_ He hesitates to answer again, because his transition into Namikaze and Kaihin International hasn't been very smooth or successful. To be honest, he's still trying to adjust. _"Small steps, Calin,"_ she says, understanding. _"You can do anything you truly set your mind to."_

He releases a small breath of air before saying, "Thanks, Mom. So, how are you?"

_"I'm alright. Just doing some work around the city to keep myself busy… The next time you come home, you'll be surprised! The house has been completely renovated! Of course, I did a little decorating myself, but I think it looks quite nice."_

"That sounds great. I don't know when I'll be back home, to be honest. Things are so busy…" He remembers Anagi's stern face when she told them about Doctor Inoue visiting Sunday, and briefly wonders about the importance of what he's going to talk about. "Ah, I'll let you know, though," he says, as confidently as he can. "The dorm, you know… It can get rather busy sometimes, and Anagi wants us to be more involved…"

_"That's understandable, of course. Getting to know your dorm mates is very important."_

"Right…" Erik's chiding snicker sounds in the recesses of his mind, but Calin quickly shakes it away. "And how's Valerie?"

_"Oh, she's doing so well! Her teachers say she's the brightest in her class! They say she has trouble opening up, though… I told them it's something that just runs in the family."_ He can't help but smile slightly. _"She misses you so much, you know. She'll be so angry when she finds out that I called you while she was away. She's at tutoring right now, getting a little extra help before the first test comes up. Speaking of which, I have to go pick her up now."_

"Alright. Tell her I said hi."

_"Of course! Take care, Calin. I love you, dear."_

"Bye, Mom." He waits for the other line to cut off before he pulls his cell phone away from his ear and tucks it away. The waitress places his coffee and a bowl of sugar cubes on the table, and he quietly thanks her (without looking her in the eyes at all). After he drops two sugar cubes into the cup, he pulls off his black fedora so that he can run his fingers through his short brown hair. For once, he feels at peace.

Portmandeau Café is nearly empty today, he realizes. It makes sense since it's a Saturday afternoon, and teenagers have more exciting things to do than sit in a coffee shop. There are only a couple others, most older ladies or gentlemen, but a couple in the corner catches Calin's attention. They both look fairly familiar, but the girl is wearing a very floppy hat and the man's collar is popped so that the lower half of his face can't be seen. He can hear the man hushing the younger-looking girl, who is sitting so that she's more visible to Calin. "Please, Saya," the man murmurs, reaching out to grasp her hand that's sitting on the table.

She quickly withdraws it into her own lap, looking indignant. "Come on, Sei-chan, what's the point of going out if we have to do _this_ all the time?" With a huff, she stands up, adjusts the hat on her auburn hair, and stomps right out of the café.

The man, slightly red from embarrassment, apologizes softly to those who have been interrupted by his date's outburst. "Thank you so much for the coffee," he murmurs to the bewildered waitress, giving her more than he bought. He stands and turns, and Calin instantly recognizes him when he sees his face — Seitou Himura, his math and homeroom teacher. Himura gasps when he recognizes Calin, and the two maintain awkward eye contact for a good moment or two. "Calin," he greets, as casually as he can, as he inches towards the door. His face is redder now, though Calin doubts that it's from being walked out on.

"Himura-sensei," Calin replies.

Himura clears his throat. "Right, well, enjoy the rest of your weekend. See you in class on Monday." With a final nod, he runs off.

Calin turns in his seat to watch his teacher's retreat, but Himura and his date are already well out of sight. _"How curious,"_ he thinks as he shifts back into a more comfortable position. He wonders if he's really seen that girl before, if she's really the one he thinks she is. He shakes his head no, reminding himself that Himura-sensei isn't that kind of man at all, and decides to just enjoy his coffee. Easing his shoulders, he stirs his coffee once, then raises it to his lips.

* * *

_April 21, 2013, Namikaze, Kirijo Coed Dormitory: Division 2_

Though Anagi calls him a heathen primarily out of the simple desire of insulting him, Erik admits that it's not completely unwarranted. He doesn't spend his free time getting to know people or working at animal shelters or helping the less fortunate. Though he does enjoy a good morally challenging read every now and then, he prefers to engage in acts that aren't exactly endorsed or encouraged by school officials. His favorite place for "play time," as he likes to call it, is in a seedy little club in the more run down part of Namikaze, called Ambrosia. There, he loses himself in alcohol and smoke and sensual movement of body against body. No boundaries disturb him once he crosses the threshold, and he loses all sense of time and rules and everything else that holds humans back from immersing themselves in full pleasure.

When he returns from his nights of debauchery, it's usually in a jumbled mess and haze. He knows his way back to the dorm like the back of his hand, so his body directs him home without requiring any thought, but Erik never remembers when he comes back or by what means. When he awakes the next morning, it's usually with a pounding headache, red eyes, aching limbs, and absolutely no recollection of what (or who) he did the previous night. It doesn't bother him, though, and why should it? He's a mortal being in a diseased world, so he should enjoy what he has when he has it.

"You look terrible," Suyin comments when he emerges from his room.

"Your face is so radiant in the morning, _liebe_," he replies off-handedly, pulling out a cigarette.

"It's four o'clock in the afternoon," she says. "And smoking isn't allowed in here."

He shrugs, unconcerned as usual, as he simply raises the window in the lounge. She wrinkles her nose in disgust when he lights his cigarette and inhales deeply and savors the relaxation that accompanies the smoke. "If you let the rules dictate your life so much, _liebe_, you'll forget the joy in living." Her look is a mix of irritation and disgust, which he chuckles at. "Well, even if you allow yourself to be dictated by boundaries, there's no need to impeded on my happiness, is there?"

"There is when your happiness starts to clog my lungs," she snaps.

"Well." He takes a long drag, droops his shoulders as he releases it through his nostrils. "In any event, I'm a Resident Assistant, so I think a couple of exceptions can be made." He can tell that she wants to yell at him and tell him that the rules apply to _everyone_, but she resigns to defeat without saying anything. There's no point, really, lecturing him about something he's never tried to fix.

Anagi enters a minute or two later with her laptop tucked under one arm and a can of soda in the other hand. "Oh, look who finally decided to climb out of his hole," she comments blandly as she casually takes a seat beside Suyin on the couch. (Erik spots the temporary flash of discomfort on Suyin's face, and bites down his tongue so as to not make a remark.) "Nice of you to join the world of the living again. Though, honestly, your absence didn't break too many hearts."

"What a lovely lady you are, Yukatanabe-san," he croons, holding a hand over his heart. "It's a wonder you're still single."

She gives him a very poignant look, like she's contemplating actually going through the effort of physically wounding him. In the end, she shakes her head and settles into the couch, muttering, "You're not worth it…"

Calin eventually joins them as well, followed briefly by Yumiko. By dinnertime, the only one missing from the group is Ayumu. "When did she say this meeting was?" Erik asks, looking at his watch like he has somewhere more important to be.

"She didn't," Calin answers with a small sigh. "She just said to be here tonight."

"A little more specificity would have been nice," Suyin says. She looks at the clock because she actually _does_ have more important things to do, like homework that she regrettably put off all weekend. "I'm going to wait in my room until they arrive…"

Just as she stands up to leave, Ayumu comes running up the stairs, panting and calling out for her. "W-wait! Sorry, I was running errands. Doctor Inoue is on his way up, too." Suyin's expression is hard as she sits back down, and Ayumu laughs sheepishly in embarrassment. "Thanks for coming, though, all of you. I'm really kind of impressed, to be honest." It's all rather grudging and with no enthusiasm, she notices when she looks at all of their faces, but it's better than nothing.

"Greetings, children!" Yumiko shrinks back and Suyin physically grimaces when Doctor Inoue comes barraging up the stairs, holding a box full of swiss rolls. "I brought sustenance for the night!" They all stare at the box — full of the doctor's favorite food — and wonder if he's actually serious about them all having swiss rolls for dinner. He looks awfully proud of himself as he puts the box down on the table, and Yumiko takes one out of pity (and probably a little bit of terror as well).

"How lovely it is to see you again," Erik says, with no excitement or joy or anything of the sort.

If he notices, Doctor Inoue shows no hint of it. "Isn't it, though?" he gushes. "It really has been a while. I've just been so busy with research…" He takes a seat on the free couch, grabbing a couple of swiss rolls on his way down. "What a week it's been, huh? I can't believe the new school year has already started… I hear a lot has been happening around here as of late. Your reports haven't been very consistent, y'know." He takes a large bite out of his roll with a cheery smile, though there's a very accusatory glint in his green eyes.

"Sorry," Ayumu apologizes, playing with the brim of her poker hat. "I've still been trying to figure everything out… I don't have very much help, either." She conspicuously glares at Erik, whose attention is focused on something on the other side of the window.

"Well, we're all in a pretty rough spot these days." He crumples up one wrapper and tosses it in the direction of the waste basket; he misses entirely and hits Erik, who actually swivels around to glare at him. "They keep trying to cut my funding, but I know we're onto something…" He's murmuring to himself like he's back in his laboratory, not in a dormitory lounge with teenagers, and when he realizes this he quickly clears his throat. "_YES_, well, anyway. Has it been affirmed, then?"

Calin raises an eyebrow. "Has what been affirmed?"

"The other division," Doctor Inoue replies plainly. "Have they begun their real excursions into the mirror?"

"Well, we know they've got in at least once, because Akito Sozuki, who had been missing, finally reappeared and is currently in the hospital," Ayumu answers. "It's the same with their transfer student. I honestly don't know how much they've learned, but I doubt that it's very much — if anything at all. They're still in the learning stage, and if our calculations are correct, they've only got three Persona users, two of which are brand new."

Doctor Inoue strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, good… This is good. I've looked deeper into the Kirijo files, and have found a bit… It turns out the higher ups don't know very much about what they're doing, either. The head of the company is paying for this dorm out of her own pocket, which means she has her own criteria, however…" He pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "However, I believe we have the upper hand. We know what we want. The only problem is whether or not these new Persona users actually pose a threat."

"I doubt it," Erik says. "Like Ayumu said, most of their Persona users are new and inexperienced. The only other one who has one doesn't have a very effective one. They're running around in the dark. They shouldn't get in the way at all."

Yumiko timidly raises her hand. "Um, I hate to ask, but… What exactly _are_ we doing? What are we trying to stop them from doing?"

"We're searching for answers," the doctor replies, "that can only be found deep within this strange world. I don't understand the full details yet, but I believe what I — what _we_ — are searching for will be found."

"So this informational meeting is a pep talk with swiss rolls?" Suyin asks, raising the question that's written on everyone else's face.

"Mostly, and a chance to finally get out of the lab and have someone listen to me talk," (Yumiko exchanges a look with Calin), "but also a, ah, go-ahead, if you will."

"A what?"

"A go-ahead," he repeats. "I've giving you all permission, and command, to begin your own excursions through the mirror. I expect full reports of your findings and, if necessary, your confrontations."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Anagi asks.

"You'll know when you run into it."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

Here's a chapter for you to get acquainted with the other group in the story, who is of vital importance to the story's plotline and progression. The Defense really isn't just an antagonist group or anything of the sort, and they're definitely not less important than T.E.C. I don't want to write out my full intention for them just yet, but I hope this chapter was enjoyable. :)

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	9. wake up

Author's Note:

FWAAAH, it has been such a long time since I've updated this! Thank you all so much for your support and patience in this story, despite the slow updates. I promise that I'll try my very best to continue, even if it does take a while to actually finish.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: **Phil the Persona Guy**, **Demons Anarchy**, **Sayuko25**, **MoldyJellyBean**, **ViperMT**, **MewStar0013**, **kingtransformo**, **a-Goto**, **Tindra44**, **The Moon Arcana**.

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Eight  
Wake Up

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_April 27, 2013, Namikaze Hospital_

Akito "Walker" Sozuki, usually just called Walker by friends and acquaintances. Aged sixteen, a second year student at Kaihin International Boarding School. Hazel eyes, dirty blond hair, slender build. Grew up in Germany, moved to Namikaze after a family tragedy.

There isn't much in Walker's file, but Seichi makes sure to read over it several times before he goes to visit his roommate in the hospital. Walker has been in the hospital for a little over a week now, and Seichi has doing as much as possible to get to know him without actually going to see him. Aside from the fact that Walker's been barred from visitors until today, Seichi isn't sure how he would be able to communicate with him at all. He doesn't know sign language and he feels like it would be a little embarrassing if he had to call in an interpreter. They could just write things to each other (honestly, Seichi's always been a more eloquent writer than speaker), but that would be strange if they were sitting across from one another.

"He can speak, a little," Tohru tells him as they waiting outside of Walker's room. "He can read lips. Don't speak too quickly, though, otherwise he won't be able to catch it. Akito-san is very kind and supportive, so he probably won't tell you you're going too fast, out of fear of offending you. You should be able to tell if he doesn't understand, but still, just in case." She sighs and runs her fingers through her honey blonde hair, which is curled and worn in a ponytail over her shoulder today. "I'm really sorry Kyle-senpai isn't here. He knows sign language the best out of all of us."

"It's okay," Seichi says, wearing a small smile. "I know he's busy. Besides, it might be better if there's not an interpreter between us, you know? Maybe it'll be more… authentic, even if it's not totally coherent or understandable."

The corner of Tohru's lips twitch upwards. "That's very true. You're sweet, Hakurata-kun." Seichi's ears burn and he hopes his hair is covering them. "Hmm, I think we can go in now. Are you ready?" He barely gets the chance to nod before she basically drags him in by the wrist.

Walker is sitting upright in his bed, with two pillows cushioning his back. When he sees them enter, he puts down the book he's reading and smiles at them in greeting. "Hello," he says. His voice is very soft and quiet. He makes a couple of simple gestures with his hands that Tohru struggles to understand. Walker quickly senses her anxiety (as well as Seichi's absolutely cluelessness) and stops with a small chuckle. "I was saying, it's nice to have visitors." Accompanying his words are hand movements that Seichi watches carefully.

"Well, we're glad we could finally see you!" Tohru carefully maneuvers around the machines and wires, so that she's standing by his side. She motions for Seichi to follow, since he's just standing in the doorway looking uncomfortable. "You've already met him, technically, but this is your roommate."

"Hey, man," Seichi greets, raising a hand. "I'm Seichi Hakurata. I'm your, uh, roommate." He realizes that Tohru already said this and grimaces.

Walker doesn't laugh, though. (Well, he does chuckle a little, but it's more to himself than actually at Seichi.) "I know. My name is Walker." His eyes shift from Seichi to Tohru, who look like they're at a loss for words. Tohru fidgets nervously, whereas Seichi is thoroughly racking through his brain to find something of substance to say. "You want to ask about what happened."

Tohru gasps. "Oh no, not at all! We're just here to make sure you're okay and that—" She realizes she's rambling when she sees the confused smile on Walker's face. "Sorry, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Tohru. Thank you. I appreciate it."

Her grin is bright. "We also brought you a book, in case you finished the one you have now." Walker's eyes light up as she hands it to him; his fingers caress the spine and torn cover with affection. "Umm, also, everyone wants you to just relax and recover. You don't have to worry about telling us everything or anything, especially not right now. We're just… We're really glad you're okay." Her smile is tight because she remembers what she saw on the other side of the mirror, that first night they went in. She wonders now if he still feels that way — if he still feels alone and isolated. "We care about you a lot."

Walker senses her intentions and anguish, and puts a hand over hers assuringly. She presses her lips together to keep the lower one from quivering.

_"I feel like I'm standing in on something really private,"_ Seichi thinks as he averts his gaze to the white curtains hanging from the window. All that mental preparation and he still couldn't hold a decent conversation with a guy… Though, honestly, he isn't sure how much he had actually been expecting. Tohru has been living with Walker for a couple of years now, and even she struggles with communicating with him. The only thing Seichi knows how to say in sign language is an offensive profanity.

"Seichi-kun." Seichi's head jerks upward when Walker addresses him so suddenly. "Thank you very much." As he did the night of his rescue, Walker raises his hand to his lips, then moves it away in a short motion. "I hope I can be of help to you in the future." He inclines his head in a short bow.

"T-thanks, Walker. I, uh… I really look forward to working with you." He glances at Tohru, who's smiling softly, before trying to mirror Walker's action from before. It's certainly no where near as graceful or pretty-looking (and he slapped his lips a little too hard on accident), but Walker greatly appreciates the notion anyway. They spend a couple more minutes with him in his room before they decide to leave so that he can have lunch and continue with his book. "Get better soon!" Seichi says as they head out the door. "The room's getting pretty lonely with just me, huh?" Walker chuckles, promises that he will make a speedy recovery, and thanks them again for coming to visit him.

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I still don't really know how to talk to him," Tohru says as they walk down the hallway. "We're in the same grade and were even in the same class last year, but… I guess I've just never been able to make that connection."

Seichi nods as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his school slacks. "Yeah, I can understand that. I mean… I suck at sign language."

When she laughs, he looks at her curiously, wondering if what he said was actually that funny. "That's not exactly what I meant by a connection, Hakurata-kun," she explains as she tries to conceal a smile behind her hand. "I think friendship and, well… a _connection_ transcends language barriers."

He blinks, not understanding. "Uh… Right."

Once again, Tohru laughs. "Sometimes I think people were made with a lot a of different soul mates in mind. Not like romantic soul mates, but soul mates that share something with you that no one else does. Something special. And it doesn't matter if you can't understand each other or if you've just met — because you're soul mates and you just have a connection, you now?" She pauses as she becomes more self-conscious of her words, and suddenly her cheeks start heating up. "I'm just kidding. I'm rambling and not making any sense at all."

This time Seichi chuckles, though it's more at her flustered state than anything. "No, no, I totally get it. Soul mates. Like… friends, but a stronger bond."

Tohru absolutely lights up. "Right!"

"Yeah, I understand." He nods wisely as the thoughts and logic race through his head. He's met a couple of people in his life that he'd consider his "soul mate," not because he was sexually or physically attracted to them, but just because there was some connection between them. Granted, he hasn't talked to them in several years, and he hasn't heard from or about them at all since his move to Namikaze, but neither distance nor time should really separate soul mates. He thinks that it must really be a great thing to share such a strong connection with someone, or anyone. _"I wonder if that's what Social Links really are."_

"Oh!" Tohru gasps and comes to a sudden stop and reaches out to grab Seichi's sleeve so that he jerks backwards. "Mari-san!"

The upperclassman looks surprised to see them there, as her blue eyes widen. The shock is very contradictory to her usually snippy and aggressive demeanor, Seichi thinks; it makes her appear surprisingly vulnerable. "What are you guys doing here?" Her gaze shifts from Seichi to Tohru, then to the room down the hall. It clicks in her head. "Oh, right. Duh. You're visiting Walker. How's he doing right now? You didn't rush him or anything did you?"

"Of course not!" Tohru replies.

Mari smiles, though it's a bit lop-sided. "Right, sorry. I guess I'm still a little on edge." She runs her fingers through her hair, tugging slightly on the pink streak running through it. "Well, I was just gonna bring him another book in case he got bored, but I'm assuming you already brought him one."

"Well, he loves reading, so I'm sure he'll go through them quickly. He'd really appreciate it too."

Mari nods. "Yeah, that's what I figured…" She turns her attention to Seichi, who's purposefully kept quiet during the exchange between the two females. Even though he's proven himself to her on two occasions, he still feels nervous around his senpai, and it's not because he has a crush on her. He's legitimately terrified that she's going to tear him a new one every time he sees her, whether it's literally or figuratively. He wonders if she's just like this towards him, or if she's like this to everyone new she meets. Steven and Jaye have tried to convince him that it's the latter, but Seichi's having a hard time believing she can be this intimidating to everyone.

In the end, she never actually addresses him. "I'll see you guys when I get back to the dorm. Bye."

Tohru waves to Mari after she brushes past both of them to get to Walker's room. "Well," Tohru says, nudging Seichi, "we should go."

"Yeah…" As they continue out of the hospital, his interactions with Mari continue to plague him. Tohru notices when he remains silent for their walk, and she quietly asks him what's bothering him. "I just… Did I _do_ something to make her hate me?"

"Mari-san?" Tohru asks, blinking in surprise. "No, she's like that—"

"With everyone she meets, I know, I know," he says, cutting her off with a groan.

She offers a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, Hakurata-kun. Jaye told me that the two of you don't really get along." Inwardly, Seichi wonders how often the others talk about him for his relationship (or lack thereof) with Mari Senjeko to come up in casual conversation. "But to be honest, Mari-san really is like that with most people she meets. She tends to keep people at a distance as she gets to know them. I don't know her very well."

"But she likes you," he says.

Tohru doesn't deny it. "Well, that may be true, but I've known her for a couple of years. I wish she'd be more willing to open up, though. It takes time for some people to open up. For others, it's a lot easier."

"Like you?"

She awkwardly tucks a lock of hair behind her ear as she attempts to hide her blush. "W-well, some people are more inclined to making friends… But that's not the point…! The point is that there's some great ice cream over there, and we should get some!" As she runs towards the vendor, Seichi slowly follows and wonders why he hasn't felt a stronger link with his classmate yet. For the several weeks he's been here, she's been his closest friend. She must still be holding something back from him, but he finds that difficult to really believe because she seems like such an open person. Maybe, he thinks as she hands him an orange creamsicle, her smile isn't as earnest as she makes it out to be.

* * *

_April 28, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin Plaza, Oishii Sweets_

Sometimes Avery Vallen wonders what life would be like if she still lived in America. She wonders if things would be "normal," if she'd be going to high school as a "normal" student, if she would have "normal" friends and "normal" family. Sometimes she wonders how her family is doing, if they've forgotten her or if they think about her very much. Sometimes she thinks she should call to see how they are doing, but then she remembers that they've made no attempt to check up on her in the last four years. Sometimes she feels a little bitter about the whole thing, no matter how long it's been, and sometimes she doesn't think she'll ever_ really _get over it. Life is good here in Namikaze, but Avery feels far from settled.

As a white American, she sticks out among the natives of Namikaze, even though the city is full of foreigners. Her shoulder-length hair is auburn and wavy, her eyes are grey, and her body is tall and lean. Her friend Lianna tells her that she's pretty, that Asians are very fond of American features, but Avery doesn't see it. Nevertheless, it's not the appearance she's worried about, but the inner workings and the friendships. She's happy that she's found these people (The Extermination Committee) and a community that accepts her, but something is missing. The problem is that she knows what it is she's missing; she's not entirely sure if she wants to find it and put it into place.

But that's neither here nor there. Right now, she's a high school student studying abroad in Japan, trying to make ends meet. Working in itself is no fun, but she does love to cook and bake, so working in the city's popular bakery is something she doesn't mind doing. Besides, if she needs to make hard money for some leisure shopping, doing it in Oishii Sweets seems like the way to go.

She grins when Kaito walks through the door halfway through her shift. "Hey there!" she greets. "How're you doin'?"

"Well, thank you," he says as he walks up to the display. "I'm just enjoying my day off and taking a break from homework. Have you finished the assignment that Himura-sensei gave us, yet? I'm having a bit of trouble with it."

"Nope, me neither," she says quickly. It doesn't register until after she's said it that she actually did finish the homework — two days ago, in fact, and with remarkable ease. "His homework is terrible."

"Maybe we can work on it together later."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" She grabs him the cheese danish he asks for and brews him a cup of coffee on the house. He tries to deny the coffee out of fear of getting her in trouble (and just because he's a nice guy and he'd rather serve than be served), but she insists and he eventually takes it. Kaito still looks guilty as he tells her goodbye and leaves through the door.

Avery hums to herself and begins cleaning when someone nudges her from the side. "Naughty, naughty, Avery." She yelps when she sees her coworker giving her an admonishing look, though his face eventually breaks out into a grin. "I saw that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replies, as airily as possible.

He chuckles at her denial. "I'd accuse you of trying to win his affections, but I know that you're just very doting on your friends." She brushes him off and continues her cleaning. "Granted, I steal some coffee every now and then, too… But it's for myself, which is entirely different. Well, I prefer tea over coffee, of course, but that isn't the point."

"What _is_ the point?" she asks, not unkindly. Avery gets along with most people, but she's particularly fond of those who are just as outgoing as she is. Andre Girard Chevalier is one of those people, regardless of his formality and French etiquette. Also, it's kind of nice to talk with another foreigner who knows what it's like to experience a culture shock.

Andre sighs. "The point is that you need to make sure that you aren't taken advantage of, Avery."

"Kaito would never take advantage of me. He isn't that kind of guy."

"I meant in general."

Avery knows that Andre is looking out for her (as he's been doing for the past year now), and she knows that there is ample reason for his advice. Still, she doesn't like to think about, as childish and immature as that may sound. "Well, thanks, Andre!" She thanks him, but both of them know she probably isn't actually _listening_ to him. Usually Andre would call her out on it, but it's been a long day and he heard that there was (or is — he's not sure if it's still present) strife in her dorm. So he lets her go on, even though what Avery needs is someone to hang on tightly.

* * *

_?_

"I hate this place," Anagi declares. She adjusts the belt and holster around her hips, then folds her arms across her chest as she turns towards her team. "Can we leave yet?"

"We just got here," Calin says, trying not to sound exasperated.

"So?"

Erik rolls his eyes while Calin rubs his temples. The German presses a finger to his headset in order to get in contact with Doctor Inoue. "Well, we're in here, _Doktor_. What do you want us to do now?" His watchful gaze wanders around the surroundings, which are hardly something to be impressed with.

Static precedes Inoue's excited voice. _"First tell me what you see."_

"Nothing really," Erik replies, sounding bored. "It looks like the control room, just flipped. A mirror image."

_"Hm… In the past, you reported that the world was different, though. And your stories differed."_

"_Ja_."

"_… Interesting. I'm not quite sure what that entails, but I've got a pretty good idea. Why don't you proceed?"_

Suyin quirks an eyebrow. "Where are we supposed to proceed? Through the room?" When no one answers, she slaps a hand to her forehead and regrets volunteering for this farce. "Forget I asked. Let's just get this over with." When they try to walk from one end of the room to the other, however, the space begins to stretch itself. No matter what they do — if they run, walk, or even try to turn back — the room never actually comes to an end. "What the hell is this?"

_"What?"_ chimes Inoue. _"What's going on?"_

"This room is like a never ending hallway," says Anagi. "Aka we're not getting anywhere and this is really stupid." Just as she begins to suggest that they end the excursion now, a sudden chill races up her spine. "Hold on, something's there." They all spin around in the direction she points and come face to face with a Shadow. It's small but quick, and in one swift motion it manages to knock Anagi off her feet.

"Careful!" Calin gasps as he jumps backwards. Before the Shadow can dig its claws in Anagi's skin, Calin pulls out his gun, presses it to his temple, clamps his eyes shut, and yells, "Help, Cao Cao!" A man in royal robes of blue appears and slashes through the Shadow, effectively destroying it with one hit of his sword. The Persona turns to Calin, who nods in approval, before disappearing in a gust of black. Calin rushes forward to Anagi's aid. "Are you alright?"

Anagi's knees are bruised, but not quite as badly as her ego. "I'm fine," she replies, with a little more irritation than necessary. Ignoring Calin's extended hand, she jumps to her feet and brushes off her jeans.

As Calin stands, looking slightly dejected, Erik shakes his head at the girl. "Honestly, _liebe_. Your Persona is a scanner, isn't it? Aren't you supposed to sense those things before they render you useless?" Though Anagi has never liked Erik, and though she has never tried to hide it, there is something in her eyes now that legitimately startles him. She doesn't jump at him or scream at him like she usually does, but her gaze is hard (and perhaps a little hurt).

Suyin steps in before anything else can go awry. "Stop it," she says, stepping between the two. "We came in here with a mission, so let's just do it and leave, alright?" She turns to Erik, who's smirking now, to Anagi who has clenched her fists. "_Alright_?" she demands, raising her voice. Anagi scowls and breaks the eye contact, but she gives in with a grumble. Erik says nothing, though he looks pleased with himself. "Let's go."

_"… So, is everything okay?"_ Yumiko asks through the headset.

"We're fine," Suyin replies.

_"… Okay…"_

There's some discussion that goes back and forth between Yumiko, the doctor, and Ayumu, but the traveling party tries to ignore them. They continue through the room, trying to find some point or edge or turn that will bring them to an end. Calin is the first to notice when the furniture and corners of the room begin to blur and become distorted. "I think we're almost there," he says.

_"What is it?"_ Inoue asks.

"I don't really know." Calin wants to ask if anyone _actually_ know what exactly it is they're doing or what they're looking for, but he figures that it'll just irritate the others more. The last thing he wants to do is create another reason to start fighting. "I think it's starting to end." The colors are blending in with one another, the edges are blurring, the lines are no longer concrete, and objects are losing their shape and texture. Reality has finally lost its grip in the mirror world.

Erik, who is at the front of the group, curses loudly when he walks straight into a barrier. The barrier is invisible, but the strength of it is enough to actually propel Erik backwards. "Found the end," Erik grunts as he holds his aching nose.

Proceeding carefully towards it, Suyin raises her hand to it. Her fingers brush against something solid — a mirror. Her reflection smiles back at her; her stomach drops when she remembers that she isn't actually smiling. "What should we do?"

There's a brief moment of silence before Doctor Inoue says, _"Break it."_

* * *

_April 30, 2013, Namikaze, Kirijo Coed Dormitory_

Walker's welcome back party isn't particularly extravagant, but the intention is there and it touches him. "Thank you," he says, bowing to everyone in the room. "I'm happy to be back."

"It's good to have you back, and in such great shape as well," says Mitsuru. "Please, have a seat." Walker sits down on the couch and is joined by Seichi and Alexandra. Everyone else crowds around in the other chairs, with some sitting on the ground. "Truly," she continues, executing sign language with excellent proficiency, "we're happy to see that you're safe. How are you feeling, Walker?"

"Good. I'm just happy to be here, rather than in the hospital."

"Yes, I can imagine."

"Thank you for…"

Seichi is so mesmerized by their hand movements that he's barely paying attention to anything else.

"Hey," Jaye mumbles, nudging him with his elbow. "Let's cut the cake."

"Huh?" Seichi blinks. "Oh, yeah. Sure." As he picks up the knife and starts to cut into the small chocolate cake that Alexandra purchased, Mitsuru starts to ask Walker about the mirror world. "Woah, hey! Isn't it too early to be asking him stuff like that? I mean, he just got back."

Mitsuru tilts her head to the side. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Sometimes I forget that you all are high schoolers and not my business partners." She chuckles. "My apologies, Walker."

The blond shakes his head. "No, it's okay. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Tohru asks.

"Yes." He pauses, struggling to find the words to explain what they want to hear. Avery offers him a notepad to write on, but he declines. He has to say this. "I was not happy. I… wanted something else." He lowers his gaze in what can only be identified as shame. "I was unhappy," he says again. There's a long silence that no one dares to break. "My reality wasn't… It wasn't good enough. I wanted my own reality."

"And that world gave it to you," Mitsuru says.

Walker nods. "Yes." He scratches his neck. "It was fine at first, but… Something happened. I was happy, but then it got bad. It was really bad."

"The Shadow," Seichi concludes.

"Yes. I… I'm sorry, but I don't remember anymore."

Mitsuru smiles. "That's fine. That is very helpful. I think I can understand a bit more… We don't have to figure out everything now." She looks around at the teenagers, who have all been struck silent by Walker's short tale. She sighs softly and inwardly wonders how far this case will take them — and if they'll be ready for it when the end finally comes. "Well, I didn't mean to dampen the mood so much. Today is a day for celebration, correct?"

"R-right," Steven says, slapping a grin on his face. "Walker's back, safe and sound. And we have cake! Let's eat!"

The atmosphere is still tense, but it gradually eases into one of celebration. While the members of T.E.C. eat and chat, Mitsuru silently dismisses herself and slips into the back room, completely unnoticed. She turns on her phone and dials a number before raising it to her ear. "Hello? Yes, may I please speak to Naoto Shirogane? … Thank you." She folds her arms across her chest and taps her foot against the ground while she waits. "Shirogane, this is Mitsuru. … Yes. I have a little more insight to the case in Namikaze. I believe I may also have a better understanding on how Narkissos works. I'll be traveling to the city tomorrow, so if I could meet with you… Oh, Akihiko's back as well? Excellent. I'll speak to both of you tomorrow, then. Yes. Thank you. Take care."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

**Social Links**:  
Fool: 1  
Lovers: 1  
Moon: 1

Phew, done! Here's some more plot advancing, so the next chapter will probably slow down again and focus on character interaction/development. It's a little early, but I'm also planning on having them take a school trip to one of the cities/towns in past Persona games. Out of Tatsumi Port Island and Inaba, which one would you rather see first?

Well, until next time! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

_always with love,  
_der kapitan


	10. all for one, one for all

Author's Note:

I know it's hard to stay with a story that isn't updated regularly (aka mine ahaha), but I truly do love and appreciate those of you who stick with me and continue to give me support. :) I see this story as yours just as much as I see it as mine, so hearing your words of encouragement is really wonderful!

Wow a lot of you (aka all of you) really prefer Inaba over Tatsumi Port Island. Personally, I prefer Persona 3 over Persona 4 (I like the darker themes more, maybe?), but what the crowd wants, the crowd gets. XD That being said, thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter! The one hundredth review is coming up soon, and I usually like to give prizes for these major achievements; **whoever gets it will get a chapter dedicated to their character, focusing on whatever they'd like** (relationships with others, romantic, history, etc.).

* * *

**Glass Houses  
**a Persona 3/Portable (© ATLUS) fanfiction

Chapter Nine  
All for One, One for All

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Sons & Daughters" - The Decemberists

* * *

_May 4, 2013, Namikaze, Kirijo Coed Dormitory_

It's late Saturday night, and most residents of the dorm have either retired to bed or gone out to celebrate the coming of the weekend early. Alexandra likes to think of herself as a participator of the latter group, even if she is sitting in the lounge with just her earphones and iPod for company. She isn't doing anything else — sketching, reading, watching TV — just listening to the music and enjoying _being_. It's been a while since she's had time like this to herself; things have been pretty hectic lately, what with Seichi's awakening and the sudden activeness of T.E.C. She's not sure if all of this is a good thing or not, but it's certainly much more lively than it used to be.

Erik Albrecht stumbles in around ten o'clock, which is early considering his usual weekend extravagances. His typically tidy uniform is unbuttoned and his tie hangs loosely around his neck; still attached to the upper left arm of his blazer is a yellow band. Alexandra's eyes are focused on the kanji printed on the band as he leans against the head of the couch she's sitting on. "_Hallo_, _liebe_," he greets, his words slurred with alcohol.

"Good evening," she says. Alexandra isn't fond of them, but she doesn't bear any real resentment against the other division in the dorm — not the way the others do, anyway. Erik in particular is disliked because of his personality, but she finds him polite enough, even if his breath reeks of poor brand vodka.

"What a boring night." He sighs hopelessly and leans further into the couch, closing the distance between them; she awkwardly shuffles to the side. "Mm? You're not doing anything tonight? I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised… You don't look like the night life kind of girl."

"I don't know what that means."

He raises a dark brow, then lowers it as he smiles. There isn't anything friendly in the quirk of his lips. "Ah, I just mean that you're a nice girl, Alexandra."

"I feel like that isn't much a compliment from you," she says. Erik shrugs, neither affirming nor denying it.

Steven and Kyle walk in then, and as soon as they realize that Erik is present the laughter dies on their faces. "What the hell are you doing here, Albrecht?" Steven asks, marching towards him in long strides. Erik stumbles back, not as elegant on his feet as he usually is, but holds his hands up in defense. Steven turns to Alexandra, who blinks in confusion. "Was he bothering you?"

She shakes her head. "No. He just came in." She knows that Steven means well (and that he really hates Erik), but part of her thinks that he just wants a reason to fight. When she says so, he flushes bright red and shrinks away, and part of her almost feels bad because she can sense the simmering anger underneath his embarrassment. Alexandra sighs; all she wanted was a peaceful night. "I shouldn't have said that."

Erik certainly looks amused but she can hardly claim the same for her dorm mate. Kyle, choosing to play the mediator, steps in and wraps an arm around Steven's shoulders. "Ah, I feel like we've all had a really long day. Sometimes we say things we don't mean when we're tired." Alexandra almost says that she isn't tired and that she actually _did_ mean it, but her conscience finally kicks in and she chooses to keep quiet. She glances at Erik, who's been watching her quietly, and she inwardly notes that his eyes don't look quite as drunk as the rest of his body does. "Do you need help getting back to your room, Erik?"

"_Danke_, but no. I can manage on my own." The dark-haired male raises an eyebrow at Kyle and Steven, then winks flirtatiously in Alexandra's direction before wandering up the steps. "_Gute Nacht, lieben._"

Kyle's chuckle sounds strained and forced. "Ah… That one's always causing problems."

"It was fine," Alexandra says. "He really wasn't bugging me or anything."

"There are more things to worry about him than just being 'annoyed,'" Steven grumbles.

Kyle's worried eyes shift to the brunet. "Steven…"

Steven shrugs and waves him off. "Whatever. I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed. See you, Kyle." He barely spares Alexandra's a glance before he heads up to the second floor.

Once he's gone, Alexandra turns to the only other one in the room. "I really shouldn't have said that, huh?" she asks, though she already knows the answer.

Kyle smiles sympathetically. "You're just very honest, Alexandra." That's just his ver polite way to say, 'Yes, you probably should have kept that to yourself.' "And Steven's been a little on edge lately, which is understandable considering everything that's happened…" He pats her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't let it worry you too much. He'll probably forget about it in the morning; just give him some time to sleep."

She doesn't fully believe him, but she appreciates the attempt. "Alright."

"Good night."

"G'night, Kyle." She watches his back until he too disappears up the stairs. With a small sigh of resignation, she falls back against the cushions of the couch and picks up her iPod to sort through. Her mind keeps wandering away, never focusing on the song tracks on the artists. In the end, she even loses comfort music so often gives her, and she decides to retire early for the night.

* * *

_May 5, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin Plaza_

Seichi was absolutely ready to decline Tohru's offer for a tough morning workout, when Jaye threw in a free lunch at Korean barbecue. After running around the entire city with both of them, with his legs aching and his chest burning, he wonders if endless plates and pots of Korean barbecue is worth it. As Jaye throws an arm around his shoulders and congratulates him on his first workout with Tohru, he notices that the honey blonde looks only slightly flushed. "I don't know how you do it, Tohru," he says, still trying to catch his breath.

"Do what?" she asks, blinking innocently.

He looks at Jaye with incredulity, wondering if she really is this oblivious, but the Brit just chuckles and shakes his head. "In case you haven't caught on, little Akaike is our work out and health nut in the dorm," Jaye says with a grin.

"I'm really not," she protests, though it's weak. Seichi has received a number of her lunches, with their green grass shakes and tofu sandwiches and broccoli sushi, so he knows that Jaye's words have merit. Most of the girls in the dorm are athletic, or at least fairly so because of what they have to do in the mirror world, but Tohru easily outran both him and Jaye. Seichi isn't really a muscle head, but he does like to think of himself as in shape, and he knows for a fact that Jaye used to play rugby, so to have someone as delicate and frail-looking as Tohru beat them is impressive. Inwardly he wonders if that's a sexist thought, so he keeps it to himself.

Jaye nudges her teasingly. "You don't need to be modest. Staying in shape is something all of us need to do." The smell of freshly-cooked Korean food fills their nostrils the moment they step inside; Seichi feels like he's died and gone to heaven. "We've tried to get the others to come with us, but they're all lazy sacks."

Tohru laughs. "That's not true. A lot of them work out on their own — like Avery and Alexandra. They're both in boxing club, so they get in extensive cardio and strength work outs, which is very important." Seichi pretends that he's actually taking in everything she's saying about proper routines to exercise, but as soon as they sit down all he can think about is how delicious all the food around him looks and smells.

"I think you lost him," Jaye says.

She blushes. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, Hakurata-kun."

His cheeks turn as red as hers. "What? No, my bad! I'm just really hungry." As if on cue, his stomach growls loudly, which results in his flush deepening. "I can really only think about food right now," he admits.

Jaye pats him on the back. "That just means that you've earned your food, mate. No shame in that!" He thanks the waitress who stops by to bring them water and menus. "I think I'll just have my usual," he mumbles as he flips through the menu without really looking at it.

"Do you come here often?" Seichi asks.

"Not _that_ much, but it's one of my favorites." He leans over the table that's separating the two males from Tohru, trying to get a look at what Tohru has her gaze on. "What are you getting, Akaike?"

She swiftly pulls the menu to her chest, putting distance between them. "I'm not sure," she says, shooing him with her free hand. "I'm not too hungry, but it's also lunch time, so it'd be bad if I just got a salad or something…"

Jaye groans. "We come to a Korean barbecue place and you think about getting a _salad_?"

"I'm not actually going to!"

Seichi's mismatched gaze wanders from his indignant classmate to the light-hearted upperclassman. He's observed all of his dorm mates since moving in, so he's able to tell who's close with who, who are friends, and who prefers to keep their distance. He can tell that there are small cliques even within the first division, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's natural to break off into pairs and threes, to find those who you have most in common with. From what he's seen, Jaye gets along best with those in his year, especially Steven, Kaito, and Kyle, whereas Tohru spends most of her free time with Alexandra. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't intermingle, but…

"You're awfully deep in thought for someone so famished," Jaye says, drawing him back.

Seichi grins sheepishly. "I was just thinking," he says.

"What about?" asks Tohru.

His cheeks redden again because, now that he thinks about it, it's kind of embarrassing. Tohru and Jaye continue to nudge him (teasingly, of course) until he finally gives in. "You two seem pretty close, though you don't hang out a lot." Saying it out loud just confirms how silly he sounds, but it's too late to stop now. "I was just… kind of wondering… if…"

Jaye raises a dark eyebrow. "If…?"

Seichi swallows thickly and thinks that Jaye could easily snap him in half if he wanted to. "If… the two of you…"

There's a ghost of a smile on Tohru's lips, but it's more out of confusion than anything else. "If the two of us…?"

He scratches his head, wishing that he hadn't brought up the matter at all. "I mean, I know that's none of my business, so you really don't have to say anything. It's just that, I don't know, it seems like it… I haven't asked anyone, so it's not their fault or anything—"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, mate," Jaye interrupts, laughing. "We can't even hear what you're saying." Before he can prod anymore, his cell phone goes off. "Dang it, hold on." He pulls it out of his pocket and gets up to dismiss himself to a quieter part of the restaurant. "All right?"

Once Jaye is gone, Seichi breathes a sigh of relief, even if Tohru is still watching him expectantly. "Jaye's a very social person, though I'm sure you've figured that out by now," Tohru says. "I don't think he gets how overpowering he can be, though." She hides a laugh behind her hand when Seichi nods in agreement. "No, he just likes to make sure you get the attention you need and deserve, which can be too much… Anyway, what were you saying?"

Seichi hesitates, but he feels a lot less pressured now that it's just the two of them. Aside from that, he's closest to Tohru and she's been nothing but kind and thoughtful towards him since his move here. "I was just curious if… I mean, like I said, you really don't have to tell me if you don't want to but it just seems to me like you and Jaye-senpai—"

She blinks back him innocently "Me and Jaye-senpai?" He sighs hopelessly; she really is making him spell it all out.

"Are you two…" He struggles to find the right word. "… together?"

"What do you me— …!?" Tohru gasps out loud when it clicks in her head and she slaps her hands to her mouth. She begins to adamantly shake her head, but the blush is too prominent and her insistence is far too strong. "No, no we're not!" she says firmly when he starts to chuckle. There's a sort of manic look in her hazel eyes as they dart around the restaurant, making sure that Jaye isn't within hearing distance. All of a sudden, she leans across the table and grasps Seichi firmly by the hands. "Please, please, please don't tell him, Hakurata-kun. I— Oh my gosh, this is just too embarrassing. Please don't say anything."

If it weren't for the fact that she looks so serious, he might have laughed. He can tell that she's teetering on the edge of an absolute social break down, so he just smiles and nods. "Of course. I wouldn't do that to you."

Tohru sighs in relief as she sits back down. "Thanks, Hakurata-kun. I know it sounds really silly to get all freaked out over something like that but I wouldn't ever be able to live it down." She scratches the back of her neck, then lowers her voice as she asks, "Is it that obvious?"

To be honest, he isn't sure how obvious it actually is — to the average person. As someone who's always been pretty good with watching people and making initial observations, Seichi can say that it is, to him. To others, it could be the complete opposite. "Nah. I've just spent half the day with both of you, and I always notice really small things," he says, easing her worries. "Seriously, it's not a big deal. Don't worry!"

Her shoulders relax. "You're the best. Steven-senpai would never let me hear the end of it if he knew…" She nervously runs her fingers through her ponytail, then sends a thankful smile in his direction. "I'm really glad you're here, Hakurata-kun."

A familiar warm sensation spreads through his body, centering in his chest.

_Thou art I… And I am thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Star Arcana._

He grins in reply. "Me too. Let me know if you ever need me to help you out, Tohru." Before she can ask him what he means, Jaye returns, which has her burying her red face in the menu and Seichi trying to keep his cool. Fortunately, the brunet seems to have forgotten the answer he had been grilling Seichi about before his phone call and is now more concerned about the choice of beef or pork for his meal. For the remainder of their afternoon together, as Tohru eases back into comfort and things pick up, he wonders if Jaye catches the increasing number of glances she steals in his direction.

* * *

_Namikaze, Faruha Shrine_

The Faruha Shrine in Namikaze really isn't anything special. There's a small offering box with simple decorations, as well as some poster board for people to post up pictures of loved ones and those who have passed on. Bushes decorate the stairs leading up to the shrine and there are some flower beds held in manmade boxes, which gives the overall atmosphere a very quaint feel. Benches line the cobblestone path, but otherwise the appearance is very plain.

It's not one of the more popular spots of Namikaze, because of its size and lack of grandeur, and usually it's just frequented by the elderly folk and couples who want a blessing, but Suyin really loves it. Granted, she's fond of peaceful places like this to begin with, but she's particularly attached to the shrine. For once, she's without camera or notebook, choosing to take in the art of her surroundings with her own senses, rather than through a lens or pen.

Sure enough, her time alone doesn't last for long. The heavy footsteps running up to the shrine break her quiet appreciation, and she's already on her own feet to leave when she steals a glance at the intruder.

Seichi grins brightly at her, looking pleasantly surprised. "Hey there!"

"You," is all she says.

He chuckles as he carefully approaches her, like he's afraid of scaring her off. "C'mon, I thought we were on friendly terms. Unless you forgot my name." Her expression is not one of amusement, but this doesn't deter him. "I was joking. I mean… Unless you really forgot, then this is really awkward."

"I know you were joking," she grumbles, but he doesn't hear.

"You look nice," he says.

Suyin flushes as she looks down at the oversized sweater and the white pants, just her usual weekend clothing, and is at a loss for words. The natural response would be to say, "Thank you," but her mind starts reeling too quickly and being so suddenly thrust into socializing has her muttering, "Whatever." She realizes the harshness of her tone as soon as the accursed word escapes her lips, which results her cheeks darkening even more.

She's surprised that he's still standing there, let alone still smiling and trying to talk to her. He's the type of person that Suyin would normally dismiss as annoying (granted, there are a lot of people she'd lob into that category), but something about him is almost… endearing? During her time in this country, she's seldom met anyone so insistent in trying to talk to her, and with such genuine intent. Well, she _thinks_ it's genuine, anyway; Suyin knows never to take things at face value.

"It's really nice to see everyone out of their uniforms," Seichi continues. "It's a lot less formal, you know?" She barely bobs her head in acknowledgement, which draws another cheery laugh from him. "C'mon, loosen up. I'm not here to drill you or anything!"

Her shoulders drop but they're still tense. "S-sorry." She absent-mindedly brings her fingers up to the braid that hangs over her shoulder, playing with the strands. "I'm not…" Suyin closes her eyes, as though doing so will ease her out of embarrassment. "I'm not very good with people," she admits, her voice quiet and breathy.

He doesn't laugh at her like she expects him to. "I'm really not trying to make you uncomfortable," he says. His tone is softer than before. "I just wanna get to know you. Well, I mean, I wanna get to know everyone I'm living with— Technically we're not living together, but still."

Seichi catches the slight upward turn of her lips. "Right…"

"Seriously!" he insists. "I still don't get why you guys hate each other so much, but you all seem really cool. Most of you do, I think. I don't really know most of the others…" He rubs the back of his head as he trails off, catching himself going far off topic. "What I'm trying to say is that I just wanna get to know you."

His roundabout answers are awkward and overly complicated, but there's something refreshingly honest about them, Suyin thinks. She also thinks that he probably _is_ one of those really annoying people, but maybe she can make an exception. She sits back down on her bench and inconspicuously motions for him to join her. "It's a nice day today," she says casually, "but it's probably going to get cold soon. The chill hits pretty hard since this area's a little higher than the rest of the city."

The feeling he experienced earlier — one that he's grown accustomed to and has actually come to enjoy — warms his chest and spreads down throe his fingers and toes. A mysterious voice rings in his head: _Thou art I, and I am thou. Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosiest to create a Persona of the Moon Arcana._ This sensation is different from the others, however; he also feels much stronger.

He blinks, obviously confused. When she raises an eyebrow at him, he finally catches on and cheerfully joins her on the bench. "So you spend a lot of time here, huh?"

"Mmm. It's pretty quiet up here… Usually." She shoots him an almost accusatory glare.

Seichi feigns a look of surprise. "Did you just make a joke?" He chuckles when she rolls her eyes, probably because she's actually smiling. "Nah, I can see why you'd like it, though… There are a bunch of shrines in the last city I lived in, but they're not really well kept. This one's smaller, but it's nice." He slumps in his seat a bit, trying to get more comfortable, and slips his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans.

Suyin doesn't say anything, and he doesn't expect her to. When she does speak up, it's minutes later. "Do you do this a lot?"

"What?"

"Just randomly come up to people and talk to them," she says.

"Well, we basically live together, so it's not really random," he mumbles, but she dismisses the excuse. "I dunno. It's not like I stand in a crowd and choose to be someone's friend. Sometimes I just… I dunno, am drawn to someone, I guess." He blushes when she snickers. "No, seriously! It sounds really cheesy, but that's the only way I can describe it. Geeeez. Mmm?" They both look up at the sound of more people heading up the steps.

Kyle and Mari come off the top step and immediately notice the only other inhabitants of the area. It doesn't surprise Seichi too much when Kyle is the only one who acknowledges him in a friendly manner. "'Ello," Kyle says. He heads towards Seichi and Suyin, but when he notices Mari staying back he hesitates. "Ah… I heard you went on a run with Tohru and Jaye earlier. I'm surprised you're still up after that."

Seichi winces at the memory. "Yeah, it was rough… Which means I still need to get in shape, I guess!"

"No, anyone's lucky if they can even keep up with them, especially Tohru. I don't really like spending my days off working out, but kudos to you, Seichi." With some obvious reluctance, Kyle turns his hazy blue gaze to Suyin, who's focusing entirely on the scuffed material of her boots. "Good afternoon, Suyin." Her eyes raise, but only barely and she keeps her head ducked down. Behind him, Mari scoffs. "We just came to pay our respects and hope for a new year."

"Ah, yeah… I was just looking around," Seichi admits.

"I'd say that's a good thing, getting acquainted with your new home."

He pauses, then slowly smiles. _Home_. "Right."

Mari lightly tugs on the sleeve of Kyle's leather jacket. "Hey, we told Kaito and Avery we'd meet them for coffee in fifteen minutes. We should hurry."

"Sorry, you're right. Well, we'll see you later." Kyle waves to Seichi and politely inclines his head to Suyin, then heads towards the offertory box with Mari, who completely ignores them.

"She doesn't seem to like you very much," Suyin observes once they're out of hearing distance. "I can understand why she'd dislike me, but you two live together."

Seichi sighs and shrugs, not really understanding Mari's animosity towards him either. "Tohru told me that she's just slow to warm up to people and has a hard time trusting people she doesn't know. She isn't making it very easy to get to know her, though." Suyin almost laughs at the irony of his words. "Well, I've only been here for like a month. I can't expect to get along with everyone." He pulls himself up, says goodbye to Kyle as he walks past again, then folds his arms across his chest. "I hope this year'll be fun."

Suyin thinks about everything that's already happened in the span of a month and, more to herself than to him, says, "I'm sure it will be."

* * *

_May 6, 2013, Namikaze, Kaihin International Boarding School_

Kaito closes the door to the Faculty Office behind him with a small sigh. Apparently someone's been stealing from the Tech Club and the computer room, and it's up to him and Jaye to figure out some kind of solution. It's not even a month into school and already he has a lot on his plate. Maybe he shouldn't have taken on Student Council responsibilities for his senior year of high school…

Jaye pats him on the shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be fine, mate. We'll figure it out, and if not, we'll come up with something. Don't let it bother you, alright?" Kaito nods, even if his worries haven't been alleviated at all, and watches as his friend sprints off to meet a friend.

Kaito wearily runs his fingers through his light-colored hair, consumed by his thoughts. He's still stringing together ideas about how to bring this up to the other members of Student Council when he nearly runs over a passerby in the process. "I'm so sorry!" he apologizes quickly, trying to stabilize the smaller girl he nearly knocked over.

"It's okay," she gasps. It takes him a moment to realize that the person he's holding on to is Yumiko Sakura, in which he immediately retracts his hands. The amber-haired girl shrinks back as well, though she looks significantly more terrified than him. (Which in turn makes him nervous and wonder how scary he is for her to react in such a way.) "S-s-sorry. I was playing my game… Sorry." She pockets her gaming console, then tries to scuttle away — only to run into another person. "Gack!"

"Oof!" Yumiko squeaks in surprise as Walker steadies himself. "Sorry! I'm so clumsy…"

She shakes her head adamantly; in all her frantic movement, Kaito swears he can see her blushing. "N-n-no! It was my fault… My fault! Sorry!" She clasps her hands in front of her and bows deeply.

Walker's eyes widen as he tries to stop her. "No, it's okay. Really, it's okay…!" He looks to Kaito for help, but all the upperclassman can do is ogle at the girl in confusion. Clutching her book bag close to her chest, Yumiko bows one last time before scrambling off, muttering something that sounds vaguely like, "What would Cloud do!?" When she's gone, Walker turns to Kaito; both of them are still awestruck by the strange occurrence. "I forgot how funny everyone is…"

Kaito chuckles, but he's not really sure why. "It's good to have you back." He speaks his words slowly and clearly, using signs he learned from books and watching Kyle communicate.

He beams brightly as he plays with the ends of his white scarf. "It's great to be back. I'm very happy." Walker's glad that Jaye and the others covered up for him because his teachers didn't give him any grief when he showed up today. Sure, there were some inquisitive glances from administration and students alike, but it was nice to not have to justify himself in front of everyone. "Thanks for all the hard work."

"Yeah, no problem." Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito spies a familiar figure. "Sorry, Walker, but—"

"You're busy, I understand. See you, Kaito-senpai." With a wide grin, Walker bids farewell to Kaito and goes to meet some friends waiting for him at the end of the hallway. Briefly, Kaito thinks about how much lighter Walker's steps are.

His attention shifts back to the figure, who's standing at his shoe locker. Carefully, Kaito approaches Calin. "Zane," he says. Calin doesn't seem surprised to see him. Instead, he just adjusts the black fedora on his head and remains silent. "Ah, you're in the Tech Club, right?" he asks, feeling grossly uncomfortable. "They just called me in to talk about the stuff that's gone missing in your room. Do you know anything about it?"

Calin shrugs. "Of course. Our president's very upset about it. The rest of us are as well, but there isn't much we can do." He finishes slipping on his outside shoes, then closes the door to his lockers. As he pulls on his backpack, he turns to face Kaito. "Have you found a perpetrator?"

"No," he answers honestly. "I just found out about the ordeal today."

"I see." He hesitates for a moment before saying, "If there's anything I can do to assist, please let me know."

Needless to say, Kaito's shocked. He's never been outright rude to the members of the other division (simply because it isn't in his nature to be rude to people), but he knows that the border between them is very strong. Calin has never come off as crass like Erik or aggressive like Anagi, but Kaito hadn't expected him to be so cooperative. Seeing the expression of incredulity on his face, Calin explains, "I am a member of the club, and it's very important to me."

His lips soften into a smile. "I understand. Thank you. I'll be sure to let you know if we find any leads." That seems good enough for Calin, who nods and silently dismisses himself from the conversation. They aren't any closer to finding an actual solution, but Kaito feels the load lighten slightly. He decides to finally head back to the dorm when a younger student with strange yellow eyes and blue hair approaches him. "Can I help you?" he asks, noting that the boy is dressed in the KI uniform.

"Yeah! I'm a transfer student, so I don't really know my way around…" He scratches his head in embarrassment. "But I was wondering if you knew someone named Seichi Hakurata?"

Kaito's eyebrows raise at the mention of his dorm mate. How does this transfer student know him — who arrived just a month ago? "Yes," he answers carefully. "The two of us live together. Do you know him?"

He nods. "Yeah! I'm an old friend of his. Ah, but listen, I gotta go to try outs, but can you tell him that Shiro Yagashimi wanted to talk to him?"

"S-sure."

"Thanks!" With a curt bow of thanks, he leaves in the direction of the soccer field.

Kaito watches the mysterious boy (Shiro Yagashimi, was it?) until he can no longer see him. What a strange afternoon, he thinks.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "Goodnight and Go" - Imogen Heap

* * *

**Social Links**:  
Fool: Level 1  
Lovers: Level 1  
Moon: Level 2 (+1)  
Star: Level 1 (+1)

And that's it for chapter 9! The next chapter will be back to some plot-important stuff, plus some delving back into the mirror world. Thank you again to everyone who's been reviewing and supporting me, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story as it goes on (even if it's slowly). :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	11. IMPORTANT NOTE

I've lost a lot of inspiration for this fic, and it's gone ways I didn't really want it to go. I think it may be the number of characters, the way I tried to introduce them all at once, etc. I'm actually planning on revamping it (I'm not sure how extreme it is), but _Glass Houses_ has been discontinued. I am so sorry to those who invested in this story and who continue to support it, but I don't really have the heart or the interest in it with the way it is now. I think I'll be taking the same concept (mirrors, alternate reality, etc.) and changing it a little.

For those still interested, I'll definitely reuse your character and let you know when the new story is up. I may or may not delete this, or just replace it with the new story. PM me or leave a review that you would still like to be involved, and I'll get you the details. :)

Again, I am very sorry to those I may have disappointed. Hopefully you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

**xx, **der kapitan


	12. IMPORTANT NOTE, 2

Hey guys! Thank you all so much for your kind words and positive feedback. I've decided to keep _Glass Houses _up for those of you who enjoyed reading it and may want to do so in the future. (Personally, I found a lot of things I was unhappy with.) I'm planning on rebooting it and I've actually outlined the plot and setting, so that everything is written down. It'll be a lot different than _Glass Houses_, but with many similar elements.

Shadows represent their shame that they try to hide, and their dungeons take shape after _their_ ideal world. They're upset with something in the real world, so they try to build their ideal world in the mirror world.

For those of you who still want your characters included, thank you! I've written a new template, however, and I would really appreciate it if you added what I've asked. I'm taking this project a little more seriously since I put more time into planning and plotting it out, so I might be a bit more harsh about the characters I receive. Currently, only two Arcana are taken: Fool/World and Justice. My characters are written below; the Fool is a bit different, so please use the template I used for the Justice. If you have any questions, please let me know! Feel free to submit the same character you send in to _Glass Houses_, or to make an entirely new one (or two - go crazy!). For the Persona, I want at least the initial Persona to be from Norse mythology, as that'll be the theme. (For P3 it was Greek mythology, P4 Japanese mythology.) Also, I only need their final set of abilities; I can guess for their lower attacks and specifics really aren't all that important.

The plot is much more complex than I had planned for _Glass Houses_, so I don't wan to give anything away, but the main setting is more or less the same. All students will be attending an international boarding school in Japan (so yes, students of different ethnicity are okay, but I would prefer Japanese and not too many English), and characters from P3 and P4 will be involved. I may ask you to change some things about your character if something doesn't fit or a trait is over used. Again, please feel free to ask questions if you have them!

Thank you so much,  
der kapitan

* * *

PROTAGONIST: THE FOOL

Basics  
**Name:** Ino Hakuna  
**Age:** 16  
**Birthday:** October 2  
**Ethnicity: **Japanese

Appearance  
**Height:** 5' 2"  
**Build: **Colette has a very small frame, with slender limbs and slight curves. She has dainty tapered shoulders, long fingers and calloused hands, and feet that are a little larger than average.  
**Skin tone:** Olive  
**Eyes:** Blue-green, with thick dark lashes; she loves mascara and dark eye liner on her top lid  
**Hair:** Naturally wavy and a dark blonde/orange in color. She likes to keep it cut short, just above her shoulders, and her bangs are styled to the left and flick upwards so that they're out of her eyesight. Her hair tends to curl inwards.  
**Other: **She has two piercings in each lobe (all occupied by simple diamond studs), as well as a silver feather clasp on her right cartilage Her nails are usually trimmed short and painted some color; she loves painting her and her friends' nails. She wears a white watch with jewels around the face around her left wrist and a rosary made out of string around her right (given to her by her religious mother). Ino is very fond of rings (right hand: thumb, pointer finger & left hand: middle finger) and scarves.  
**Clothing:  
**- Uniform: She tailors her skirt so that it's hiked up high above her knees. During fall/winter, she wears black thigh highs with her school shoes and exchanges the blazer for a large, comfortable gray sweater; she also wears a variety of heavy knitted scarves to keep her warm. During spring/summer, she wears navy flats and a short-sleeved, collarless white blouse (so without the ribbon, obviously) tucked into the skirt; her scarves are lighter and softer for the weather.  
- Spring: An airy/light, long-sleeved peach shirt tucked into a high-waisted white skirt, which decorated with blue and pink floral patterns. On her feet are strappy brown sandals, and a white lace infinity scarf hangs around her neck. She tries to pull her hair up into a tiny bun.  
- Summer: A cream-colored tank-top tucked into a neutral maxi skirt, kept up by a thick black sash as a belt. She wears black flats and a bright blue cashmere scarf decorated with butterflies. Her hair is French-braided very loosely.  
- Fall: Mint green skinny jeans cropped just above her ankles, dark brown belt, neutral oxfords, a light blue long-sleeved blouse, and a brown sweater with white polka dots over it. A black infinity scarf hangs around her neck, and her hair is pinned half-up with bobby pins.  
- Winter: Choral skinny jeans tucked into dark brown knee-high boots, long black blouse, and a dark brown leather jacket. Her scarf is made of cashmere and alternates colors from green to blue to gold. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and she wears a thick black headband to push back her bangs.  
- Swimsuit: A red two piece, where the top is strapless and has a gold clasp in the middle to keep it up. She also wears a pair of denim shorts and leopard-print sunglasses.  
- Festivals: Her yukata is yellow and decorated with bold orange flowers and branches, with a purple obi to keep it in place. Her hair is left down, though she wears a bright yellow flower in it.

Personal  
**Personality: **Upbeat, cheerful, and easy to talk to, people often seek Ino's company and advice. She likes to put herself into new situations and expand her horizons, and she has no trouble with adapting to new situations or environments. She's very active and needs to constantly be doing something, otherwise she'll throw a mini tantrum; Ino's gotten very good at keeping herself entertained and amused. Though most people prefer having some kind of alone time, Ino is someone who thrives when she's with people. If she's away from others for too long, she gets too withdrawn and thinks too much, and that usually becomes self-destructive. She loves to have fun, but she also just likes that sense of companionship and friendship that comes with being with people. Her empathy is very high, and her concern for those around her is genuine. She will put herself out on a limb to make sure that others are happy or comfortable, but she tends forget about herself in the process.

While Ino is friendly, she doesn't really have a sense of formality. When she talks to people, she does so with the intent and thought that they're going to be friends, and it doesn't really register that there are some people who simply don't want that. She extends her (over) friendliness to all people, including (or especially) those who don't want it. She isn't very good about understanding boundaries, especially physical ones, and is very open with her displays of affection. A lot of people take her friendliness as flirting, but it's really just her way of interacting with people she likes. When it comes to people she has romantic feelings for, she actually becomes more reclusive and unsure of her actions.

Pissing her off takes a lot to do, but if someone manages to do it, she'll blacklist them. Ino's notorious for holding grudges, though they have to be for pretty serious reasons. She's good at just letting things roll over, but if someone wrongs her or a friend she'll never let them forget it. She's not very good at hiding her emotions, especially when it comes to people she doesn't like. While most people can be polite and/or pretend to like someone, she'll shun them and/or blatantly make comments to make them uncomfortable. Ino can get pretty snarky and sassy and while it's fun it can also get a little embarrassing. She's naturally very friendly and empathetic, but she's also stubborn and an absolute bull in confrontations.

Ino is much more concerned about her social life and hobbies, so academics tend to take a back seat with her. It's not that she isn't intelligent; it's just that she doesn't know how to apply herself, and there are other things she'd rather be doing. She often has to be forced to sit down and study.  
**Hobbies:** She's very fashion conscious and up-to-date with the latest trends, so she loves reading fashion magazines and blogs. Her health is also very important to her, so she's big on working out and eating the right foods. (She's into these weird protein shakes and tofu replacement foods and tries to make her friends eat them.) She loves to sketch and play around with pastels. She can belt it and she loves to go to karaoke, but her actual singing skill leaves much to be desired. As stated before, she can often be found painting her own nails or forcing a friend to sit down so that she can paint their nails. She can be a bit of a prankster too, and likes to play harmless jokes on those close to her.  
**Likes: **Fashion/health magazines, large dogs, iced milk cofee (refuses to have it any other way), sunshine, rom coms, cheesy action movies, going to the movie theater, pop culture (she can spout random information about celebrities that no one should know), dancing, airplanes, traveling, baked goods  
**Dislikes:** Cigarettes, staying in one place for too long, jaywalking (she refuses to cross the street unless the sign is green and she will wait, with no cars in sight, until it changes), gore movies, small and cramped spaces, sleeping alone in the dark (she needs a night light to sleep comfortably by herself)  
**Clubs/occupations:** Art Club, Music Club (organizer/assistant; she can't play an instrument), Fashion Club, Volleyball Club; works part-time at Oishii Sweets  
**Talents:** Giving advice, baking (she likes to sneak in healthy ingredients), painting/drawing, getting people to open up, running  
**Family:** Kenshin (father), Midori (mother), Arisa (younger sister, 12), Seiji (younger brother, 10), Seotta (younger brother, 5)  
**Background:** Ino's family is originally from Kyoto, where her father works for a large manufacturing company and her mother weaves kimonos. Though both do love their children, they're very busy and family time is very scarce. Kenshin is often away at work, usually traveling for the company, and Arisa has to bring her work home a lot but she has to shut herself away in order to finish. As the oldest, Ino took up a very motherly position with her siblings, packing their lunches and getting them ready for school. She bears no ill will towards her parents (she insists that she loves them), though honestly she doesn't know them very well. Since she's gotten older, Arisa has helped out with raising their younger brothers, and the siblings all do a good job of making sure that they're growing up well. Ino is deeply attached to her siblings, babying them a lot (Arisa is the harsher one, and she'll call Ino out on it). Whenever Kenshin and Midori do manage to make time for their kids (at the same time), conversation is usually pretty formal and shallow; the parents don't know how to talk to the kids as much as the kids don't know how to talk to them. They aren't necessarily bad parents, but they don't really try.

Though Ino honestly doesn't mind, Arisa has taken to guilt tripping both of their parents (when Ino's not around). Kenshin admits that he hasn't done much to be active in his kids' lives, and Midori agrees. Both know Ino well enough to know that she's still very interested in fashion and possibly traveling, so Kenshin spoke to one of his co-workers who has ties with Kageri International School in Yamasachihiko. KI is very prestigious, with 98% of the graduates going on to get goob jobs and/or better schooling. Though she couldn't get an academic scholarship due to sub-par grades (she's had problems with sitting still since she was a child), she was secured a spot through her father's connections and money. Ino was initially a little weary about accepting, mostly because of leaving her siblings behind, but the younger ones insisted and she decided to take the opportunity.

Up until five years ago, Ino remembers waking up in the middle of the night, in pitch black with all electronics turned off. She recalls something red (perhaps blood) on the walls and coffins, but she's convinced herself that they were strange, vivid nightmares.

Persona  
**Arcana:** Fool/World  
**Weapon:** Dual wind and fire wheels  
**Initial Persona:** Skadi - Appears as light-skinned, nearly translucent woman with long and fair hair. She is dressed in a simple white dress tied at the waist with with a gold rope, brown greaves and long hunter's gloves, and golden sandals. A bow and arrow hang from her back and she wields a spear, as though ready to strike. Her eyes are a brilliant shade of purple - the color that Yamasachihiko's mountains are when the sun sets and rises.  
- Weakness(es): Zio  
- Strength(s): Agi  
**Ultimate Persona: **Embla - Takes on a much more humble appearance than Skadi. Embla is a fair-skinned and fair-haired, but is completely nude, save for a blue-purple sash that conceals her most intimate body parts. In one hand she wields the fire of life and in the other a sword carved from the tree of life.  
- Weakness(es): None  
- Strength(s): Resists Agi, Garu, Zio, Bufu, Physical  
**Abilities: **(Final Set) Ragnarok, Maragidyne, Samsara, Salvation, Regenerate 3, Brave Blade, Vorpal Blade, Alertness

TEMPLATE FOR TEAM MEMBERS

Basics  
**Name:** Azusa Yano  
**Age:** 17  
**Birthday:** December 5  
**Ethnicity: **Japanese

Appearance  
**Height:** 6' 0"  
**Build: **Azusa is tall and lean, with a broad back, large hands, and a slender torso. He towers over people, both because of his natural height and the way that he holds himself.  
**Skin tone:** Light-skinned; he burns easily  
**Eyes:** Gray  
**Hair:** Auburn and cut short, though it's naturally pretty spiky and hard to keep down.  
**Other: **Azusa is almost always wearing some kind of thick bandana, headband, or hat. He also has a thin silver chain necklace with a simple black ring hanging from it. He owns a pair of black thick-framed glasses that he needs to wear for reading.  
**Clothing:  
**- Uniform: During fall/winter, he wears a black hoodie over a long-sleeved white shirt, plus a thick brown scarf and white-and-green trainers. During spring/summer, he wears a black t-shirt instead of the white dress shirt, and his usual trainers.  
- Spring: Dark wash jeans, white v-neck shirt, red trainers. The headband he wears is also red.  
- Summer: Khaki cargo shorts, red bro tank with a black logo for a local lacrosse team on it, black sneakers. He wears a slouchy gray beanie.  
- Fall: Forest green v-neck sweater with a black t-shirt underneath, blue jeans, brown sneakers. His headband is black.  
- Winter: Blue jeans, black long-sleeved shirt, gray hoodie, black jacket, white trainers. He wears his slouchy gray beanie.  
- Swimsuit: Green-blue trunks with wave-like patterns on them. Around his forehead and tied to the side is a white bandana.  
- Festivals: He just wears whatever the season permits, but if coerced (aka really forced/tortured) he'll wear a simple navy blue yukata with a white sash. Even with the yukata he'll wear a headband.

Personal  
**Personality: **Azusa comes off as gruff and hard to talk to, as he usualy holds himself with an air of confidence (borderline arrogance) and tends to look down on people. He's also hard to impress and keep entertained, and he has no problem with walking away from someone/something once he's bored. Azusa is intellectually superior to many of his peers, but he still holds them to a high standard that's pretty unfair. Because most people are too afraid to talk back to him, he has no problem with saying what he wants, most of which is pretty insulting. This applies to both strangers and friends; the latter just know how to deal with him. His friends and family have to be confident of themselves in order to stick around him, and they usually shoot back what he says right back at him. Azusa's a condescending ass, but he appreciates people with a backbone. Being around people who are unsure of themselves makes him uncomfortable and tends to piss him off. (He doesn't really understand what it's like to not believe in oneself.)

He's put together and very organized; disruption and chaos makes him incredibly uncomfortable and fidgety. Even if it's not his own room or his belongings, he'll start to clear things up and try to put them in some kind of organization. He gets antsy when things are out of place. On top of that, he's incredibly punctual and will get super pissed off if people are late to a meeting.

He's loyal to his friends, though he shows it in unconventional ways. Azusa isn't one to voice his appreciation of someone, and if he does it's very roundabout (or just insulting). Most people know he likes them if he shows them through actions, as he's not willing to give the time of day to people who irritate him. He's much more willing to help people he's geuinely fond of, though he'll complain and gripe about it all the while. Azusa isn't too good with dealing with emotions because he's so used to stifling his own, so any sign of tear or anguish and he'll go running in the opposite direction. He grew up in a very cold house where showing signs that something is wrong was frowned upon and even suppressed. What he's learned about actual companionship came from his friends, but he didn't have very much to start with.

Azusa's a realist, and people who are too optimistic tend to piss him off. His life has been defined by facts and realities, drilled into his head by his parents and family. He's far from being an idealist and expects the worst out of people and the world.  
**Hobbies:** Cleaning (he's great at housework), reading (classic literature, especially Russian, is his favorite), playing with a rubix cube that he carries everywhere with him, chess/checkers/shougi/go, card games, going to the arcade, practicing music  
**Likes: **Cigarettes, intellectually stimulating games, libraries, coffee/tea, coffee shops, music (both listening to it and playing it), chocolate, most unhealthy foods (he's notorious for the amount of grease and fat he consumes without gaining any weight), cats and dogs (he has a soft spot for strays)  
**Dislikes:** Most flowers (he has terrible allergies), rats (the fear is almost debilitating), most vegetables (he has to be force fed or the vegetables have to be well-hidden), traveling long distances in general (he gets terrible motion sickness and has to take medicine that knocks him out)  
**Clubs/occupations:** Music Club (piano, violin, trumpet, cello), Soccer Club  
**Talents:** Music, school, an impressive martial artist (he often frequents the local dojo), has a good memory and recalls the smallest (sometimes trivial) details  
**Family:** Takashi (father), Chiyuki (mother), Katsu (older brother, 25), Sanae (older sister, 22), Jin (younger brother, 13)  
**Background:** Takashi is the current owner of a huge chain of hotels throughout Japan, which he inherited from his father, grandfather, etc. The Yano family is incredibly rich and is often in the news because of their attempts to expand beyond Japan. Both Takashi and Chiyuki were born upper class and are thus very aware of social etiquette and construction. As children, Azusa and his siblings were taught simple etiquette in terms of dining, talking with other people, etc. On top of that, they received the best education possible, in which Azusa demonstrated a natural talent for schooling. Though Katsu and Sanae got good grades, they did so through hard work and constant studying; this wasn't the case with Azusa, who effortlessly sat at the top of his classes. Katsu, who felt called to monastic life, became a Buddhist monk when he was twenty, which left the inheritence of the Yano Hotels up for question. Sanae never showed an interest in the hotel business, especially since she went on to study biochemistry for med-school. Right now, they're expecting Azusa to take over the business once his father's done, but only after he's finished his schooling. In order to prepare him, he's started taking college-level courses in business administration and finance.

KI gives a full scholarship to one person from each class, and Azusa received the one for his. Though his family is filthy rich, they haven't needed to pay a dime for their son's schooling because of the scholarship, which is something a lot of the students deem unfair. He used to get a lot of flack for it his freshman year, when he received the award, but most people leave him alone (or just talk about it behind his back) now because they're afraid of him. Both of his parents are incredibly proud of him, and while they don't mean to do it, it's pretty obvious they favor him. His siblings tease him about it, but it does put him off and irritates him, especially since they already want him to stand in as the next face of the hotel.

Persona  
**Arcana:** Justice  
**Weapon:** Gloves  
**Initial Persona:** Freyr - Takes the form of a large red boar with yellow eyes and longer, elf-like ears. Both of its ears are pierced three times, with gold hoops in all of them.  
- Weakness(es): Mudo  
- Strength(s): Hama  
**Ultimate Persona: **Baldur - A large, mechanical man dressed in brilliant gold and white armor, with a gold crown hovering above his head. He wields a broken sword in one hand and a silver shield in the other.  
- Weakness(es): Mudo  
- Strength(s): Hama, Garu  
**Abilities: **(Final set) Mahamaon, Garudyne, Hamaon, Primal Force, Diarahan, Debilitate, Marakukaja, Dekaja

Dungeon  
**Ideal World/Fantasy World:** His dungeon exaggerates his fear of responsibility and what the future holds for him. It's a large play place with an endless number of rooms, each filled with different toys, games, and activities. The walls are colorful and patterened, unlike the drab white walls of hotels. His ideal world is one without responsibility, without people depending on him for something he doesn't want to do, without etiquette classes and college courses. His ideal world is one where he he can just _enjoy_ rather than worrying about the future.  
**Shame they try to hide:** Despite being held to such a high standard by his family, being intelligent, having a scholarship, etc., Azusa has no idea what he wants to do. Some people urge him to take over his father's company, some tell him to go on to more schooling, some tell him to go abroad — but he just doesn't know. For someone who apparently has it all put together, Azusa's future is far from clear. Honestly, he's afraid of responsibility and having all these people (especially his family) depending on him.


End file.
